Fantasy A
by narutotrigger
Summary: A teen travels the world, searching of new locales, friends, enemies, all the while trying to make his way in the world. Mass crossover, eventually.
1. Chapter 1

Fantasia

Prologue: Enter Naruto Uzumaki, Extraordinary Hunter!

A/N: I do not own anything in this work of fiction, except my own ideas. Just to warn all of you, there will be no real plot, it's more mission based, so it allows me freedom to do what I want. There'll be no definitive end, unless I decide to stop writing. This chapter is however, a preparation chapter.

Please Read and Review.

Start

In a bustling city, an adolescent wakes up in a hotel room. "Boy, that was some night." He yawns and raises his hands. The adolescent is blond, with blue eyes. He puts on an orange and black jacket/pants combination, since orange is his favorite color. He puts on a headband with a leaf, though many people see it as a snail that fell over. People have made remarks about how he looks silly, but he doesn't mind because he is secure about how he sees himself.

He opens the blinds, causing the sun to slowly come into the room. It blinds him, yet he feels okay because his eyes are used to the bright lights. "Ah, it's going to be a hot day, isn't it?"

He packs up all of his things into his bag and leaves the room. He signs out at the checkout desk, and a woman thanks him, "Thank you for your patronage, Mr. Uzumaki." He looks back, "You run a nice place, Yoko. I'm always honored to stay here." He leaves the hotel and prepares for his trip back to the guild.

This teen is Naruto Uzumaki, a member of the guild known as Konoha, the Guild Hidden Among Leaves. The guild is stationed in Payon, a sleepy town known for its' rich mythology, legend, and lore. He had just finished a mission in the capital city of Rune-Midgard, Prontera.

Naruto looks through his earnings, a cool thousand gil. "Ha, that was a pretty good one for such a low amount. Oh well, I should get a better one next time." He heads to the chivalry, where he must keep his companion, Piko. He goes to the checkout desk and is met by a knight. "Are you here to rent one of our Peco-Peco?"

Naruto shakes his head, "Nope, I'm here to get Piko, my companion." He nods and escorts Naruto to the Stables. "Hey, Piko! It's been a few days, hasn't it?"

The large bird made a 'wark' sound cheerfully and nuzzled his master. "Come on then, let's go back to the guild." He holds Piko by the reins as he gets on. The knight comments, "Your friend is very strong and in very good condition. I see that you've taken care of him very well."

Naruto pets his bird, "We've been together for a while. He's helped me out in quite a few jams." He laughs, "I've got to go now." He rides Piko out of the city.

Once out of the capital, Naruto has to ride towards the east to get back to the guild. Although it is very easy to get to Payon through the teleportation service, Naruto instead decides to ride his bird through the rustic countryside. "It has been a few days since you've been outside, hasn't it?" The bird happily chirped.

The team of two ran past large fields of green on their way back home. As they reached the border between Prontera and Payon, they saw the border guard. "Evening, Naruto. How's life treating you so far?"

He shrugged, "Same old, same old. I had to interrupt a wedding between this dark lord and a princess of a far away kingdom. I was only paid a measly 10,000g for my work. How's life treating you?" He shrugged as well, "Can't complain. I've got to get food on the table for the missus."

He inspected Naruto for dangerous or illegal items he was delivering. "Can't be too careful nowadays. I hear that demons are coming back now. There are wild stories of gruesome murders and mysterious deaths all over the place."

Naruto nods, "Right, well, you take care of yourself then. I've got to report a successful mission." They waved to each other as the youngling and his companion headed back to their guild.

Meanwhile…

In a castle, long abandoned by the flow of time, a dark lord schemes. There have been many lords of this castle, but this dark lord is special. This certain dark lord in this castle is perhaps the most interesting of dark lords that have ever set foot into this castle. He is in fact, so assured that he will never die, he names himself Dark Lord.

Dark Lord (D for short) is a large skeletal figure. He has, what must be assumed to be, a living set of armor. The pauldron is a set of large animal skulls with glowing red eyes of doom. He wears a menacing piece of armor with a cross pattern and black spikes protruding from the back. Everywhere he goes, a black pentagon hovers under him. However, this is not his true identity.

His true identity was an alchemist who wished to find what all alchemists wished to find: the secret to eternal life. He reasoned if he was able to obtain life eternal, he could solve all the problems in the world and be praised as a hero.

His research in alchemy led him to The Darkness, an area on the borders of the world and the next, in which beings of the living world should never enter. He ignored the warnings of the various voices, including those of his dead parents, to leave. "**Leave this place, lest your soul be torn asunder!**" However, this is no time for back-story.

To conserve energy, Dark Lord transformed back into his human form, a slimy albino man, with a ragged expression and oily black hair. His regular clothes were torn due to un-repair and being in his great demon form for so long.

He was outraged, "**That bastard! I was so close, but that damned brat had to get in my way!**" D had sent a proxy to pretend to be him, as of 100 years ago, beings of darkness were not allowed in the only church in the world. That specific church was the only church where humans get married with humans.

He was outraged, "**That damned King Tristan I, forming that heavenly contract with Kami.**" The outraged lord went to go play with his toys, deciding to tamper with the rules of life instead of mindlessly raging over something out of his control.

Payon – The Mystic Land…

After entering through the main gate, Naruto and Piko had to ride through the forest before heading into the actual town. The day was ending and it was nearing night. Naruto could hear the various animals making animal noises. It was peaceful in its own way because it reminded him of a simpler time.

Normally, monsters would hurry towards any strangers of the forest and try to pummel them to oblivion. His tattoo, a symbol of a leaf on his forehead, allowed him to safely walk through the forest unharmed. It also allowed him a low empathic link to the forest creatures.

The empathic link even allowed him to safely pass by Eddga, the lord of the forest. He was a large panda-lion with a chonmage, and a pipe. He was formidable for most people, excluding most of the seasoned explorers.

He eventually made it to the actual town. He headed to the temple to pray for good luck. The temple was home to the remains of two greatly revered priestesses in their respective times. As he entered the boundaries of the temple, he heard a sweet voice, singing.

As he neared the voice, "My, my, what is a pretty bird doing so far from the meadows?" The song-stress turned her head, "Oh, Naruto, you're back!" She went up to hug her boyfriend. The priestess had short, beautiful white hair and the standard priestess garb. She also armed herself with a foldable staff. Her most interesting features were her hide-able rabbit ears.

Naruto embraced her gently, "Hinata, how have you been?" She smiled, "I'm so glad you're back! I was worried something happened to you after you took such a dangerous mission. What were you thinking?"

He was feeling cocky, and truth be told, he just did the mission for kicks. "Better people than you have tried to talk me out of a dangerous mission. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is." He shrugged, but continued when he sensed danger, "I'm kidding, seriously! Don't look at me like that!"

Naruto got off Piko, and he nuzzled Hinata gently. "Aw, who's a good boy?" Naruto said his prayers to the two priestesses and continued, "I've just got to take Piko home. After I take him home, I'll be back to walk you home, okay?" He grabbed the reins and started home, but Hinata stopped him.

"Wait, I want to talk to you first." He stopped and looked at her, "Are you doing so many dangerous missions because of him?" This question drove into the blonds' heart. It had been two years since she had mentioned him.

During that time, Naruto had done various missions for different people, trying to do some good for the world. "Heh, it's not that. I just want to do something challenging. I'm not even thinking of that damned bastard."

Hinata could sense Naruto was lying, but merely waited. '_You will eventually have to face your fears. I just hope you're not too damaged at that time.' _He left, and she started to pray to the temple for his safety.

End

This is merely preparation for something more.

As I was creating the fourth chapter for Fantasia, I realized, for this kind of story, its' easier for me to start at the middle, when people are stronger. I'll end up slowly revealing stuff in shorts at the end of chapters, or in the chapter itself if I feel it relevant.

Give me ideas for stuff to do in the reviews. Please don't be too scathing with your reviews if you don't like an element or a plot arc.

I'll be referencing a lot of anime/other fiction I've watched/read/played. Should be a fun time.

Please don't review about how this might be a wish-fulfillment kind of thing. It's really unnecessary and adds nothing new.

Wedding

Dark Lord was thinking about the wedding, in which he hoped to gain control of the resources of a distant kingdom. "**Western technology combined with my dark magic! The 'magitech' would have been the greatest creation ever! That damned brat!**" He threw all the experiments off the table.

It was a relatively simple plan. He had his henchmen kidnap the princess during her visit to Prontera, the capital. He knew of her nation and its' great technology and advancements. "Why have you kidnapped me, evil fiend?"

He spoke in his human voice, careful not to worry her, "I simply wish to advance human growth. Is that not your wish as well?" Over the years, D had studied many types of magic, and applied his mastery on his words. He basically hypnotized the girl into marrying him.

One must be thinking, if he is a dark lord and has overwhelming forces, surely he must be able to just go in and take the technology? Wrong!

The technology is specifically keyed to the blood of the royal family. Ergo, one must be connected to the royal family to make use of it.

The marriage itself is also a test of patience. The contract that Kami made with King Tristan I stated that the church must legalize all marriages between two full-blooded humans. The princess was a member of the Schwartzvalt imperial line, which houses the First Church to Kami.

'_**Damn these gods and their contracts! I just want to take that technology for myself, but no! I have to get married to a stuck-up…**_' D calmed himself, as trying to fight against gods were like trying to fight destiny. People may believe that destiny is not set in stone, but it's simply an illusion.

He made preparations. He had to send a proxy as the church didn't allow beings of darkness within its' hollowed halls. He set guards on all sides masquerading as attendants. He even managed to bribe the priest administrating the wedding. As the final precaution, he used an observation spell to view the wedding, looking for a minute detail; just observation; no weapons or dangerous voodoo.

Everything was going along smoothly, the bribed priest was doing his job. The princess was still in a daze, and no gods/goddesses could stop this unholy union. Yet there was a small crack in his plan, and a blond punk managed to stop the sham.

With an outraged voice in his faraway castle, D shouted, "**Damn that brat!**"

Failed Wedding

Meeting: Hinata + Naruto

The Hyuuga clan of Payon was a powerful, ancient clan. It had its' roots in Amatsu, the Land of Destiny. However, after it had been made clear that the government had started to become corrupt, the Hyuugas and various other clans, including the Uchiha and Senju started towards the mainland.

They chose Payon, a large forest at the time. The Senju and the Uchiha layed the foundation for the village, while the Hyuuga communed with nature. Their communications led a Viera, half elf, half rabbit, tribe to the forest.

As a whole, the Viera were natural magicians and spiritualistic. They mainly worshipped gods of nature, animal gods and sometimes human nature gods. During this time, it was common for humans to mate with the half-rabbit, half-elf vixens.

In more modern times, the practice had eventually been only reserved for the head of the Hyuuga clan. This gave the next generation great power, as they had greater power to commune with animal gods and mystical beasts.

As a procession was leading its newly crowned priestess, a sacred title for the clan, a boy and his friends were walking. "Naruto, what are we doing here? You saw the Hyuuga clan. Those guys will be really pissed when they see commoners like us here." A pink haired girl quietly yelled at him.

Naruto, then much shorter and wearing all orange, responded, "Nah, those stuck-up people can only see what's in front of them. I just want to see what is the big deal about a white haired woman and her daughter."

The girl stomped her feet, "You don't know the history of the Hyuuga clan, one of the founding clans of this village?" He turned around, "Nope." She sighed, "What do you go to school for?" He turned again, "Hey!"

"That woman is a priestess, a very important role in the clan. She prays to the gods of the zodiac year round. This year is the dragon god, I've heard he's very strict and is known to strike down people on a whim." She waited for a moment, "Hey, are you listening to me?"

She turned to where her friend was, but saw no sight of him. She yelled silently "_Naruto! Where are you?" _She saw him head into the temple. '_Come back here, idiot!'_

The large procession was now inside the temple, as the priestess in her priestess garb was praying to the dragon god. She was indeed beautiful, like princesses and queens of ancient times.

Naruto was content just looking outside from the windows, but his friend Piko, just a Peko-Peko at that time, seemed to want to play with his master. "Not now, Piko. I'll play with you later." Long story short, he was kicked into the window and stumbled through into the main room.

The highest-ranking members of the clan were shocked that a commoner was in their midst. A white haired girl walked up to him, "Don't tell me you're her sister?"

She giggled at his response, "Don't be silly. She is my mother." He had to look at the two multiple times back-to-back before figuring the whole thing out.

The shock caused him to fall over and accidentally kiss the girl. This caused even more shock amongst the crowd; one member even fainted. The day would live on in infamy as one of the most shocking events in the history of Payon.

End

Two of my attempts to be funny.


	2. Chapter 2

Fantasia

A New Start and a new friend

A/N: I do not own anything in this work of fiction, except my own ideas.

Please Read and Review.

Reviewer's Corner (From Prologue):

Start

Naruto woke up inside his apartment. He hadn't needed to visit the place in his hometown for nearly two years, but he saw that Hinata had kept it in good condition. '_I suppose I should thank her._' Did she believe he would come back, after such an event? He would think about this later.

He walked down and inspected his fridge. '_No food, not even ramen.' _ He wanted to put off going to the guildhall as long as possible, but it was probably the only place he could get food. It also contained his favorite restaurant, if you can call it a restaurant.

He slowly walked out of his apartment, drinking a small container of orange juice, shaped like an orange. He eventually made it to the Konoha Guild Hall, a large tree. It was formed by the now ancient first guild-master. His name was not lost in the darkness of time. Only the current master, Hiruzen Sarutobi, knew of his true identity.

After finishing up his beverage, the container decomposed naturally as it hit the ground. This spell was cast on most disposable containers, as it was much more useful than having trash containers or dispensers. Ah, the wonders of human/elf ingenuity.

The guild hall was just as he remembered. A giant tree with their symbol, a leaf, or a snail fallen on its shell. '_It's just as I remembered it. Great.' _He was hesitant of seeing his comrades again.

He opened the grand door and saw a large room. It was essentially a large hollowed out tree. The inside was like a regular pub, it had a bar and many tables. There was also a stage and had a large leaf symbol at the top. There weren't many people though.

A voice sounded, "Hey, Naruto, you're finally back!" He had recognized the voice to be Kiba Inuzuka, one of his friends. He was a rambunctious person, but he had a good heart. He wore a grey hooded sweatshirt and blue pants. He was an animist, someone capable of taming the wills of the wild beasts of the land.

The two slapped hands, "Yo, Kiba. It's been a while." He just nodded. "What have you been doing these two years? You don't call or write. Your poor little hare must have been worried."

He looked away, "No, I sent her letters and stuff like that. It's up to her if she wanted to share it with everyone else." Kiba was dismayed, but quickly rebounded.

"Well, either way, it's good to have you back. So, I guess you'll be excited to know you're returning to your team, huh?" Naruto turned and faced his friend, "What did you say?"

Kiba raised an eye, "What? You mean, you don't know? Didn't Master send a message last night? An envelope?" Naruto looked over his person, but couldn't find such a thing.

Kiba found it attached to his back. "Here it is."

Naruto tore open the envelope and read the letter. It did tell him that he was going off solo status and put back onto a team. "But why? I've been going solo for two years!"

Kiba shrugged, "I'm assuming that you've heard of the dangerous times we're in now? You are pretty strong, I'll give you that, but four is better than one." Naruto merely grit his teeth. He'll have to take it since he had to obey the guild master.

He scratched his head, "I guess you're right. So, how has everyone been doing these past two years?"

Kiba smiled, "We've all been pretty good, you know, doing missions, getting scratch. It's been pretty easy going." Naruto nodded, "So, where is everyone?"

"They're still asleep. We were preparing a party last night for your homecoming, big man! Where were ya'?" Naruto felt a bit awkward, but it went away. "Sorry, I didn't know."

Kiba shook his head, "Well, we still had some fun." He sniffed the air "It looks like Shikamaru is awake." A door on another side opened, and a man wearing a black flak jacket appeared. His most interesting feature was that he had a pineapple shaped haircut. He was also carrying a heavy leather-bound book. He waved to the two as he headed for the bar.

Naruto headed to his friend, "So… rough night?" He mumbled something. Naruto inspected his tome, "So, you're really interested in dark magic, huh? I never thought you would be the studious type."

His friend narrowed his eyes, "It is not dark magic. It is elder magic. I don't want to have to make myself clearer." A black glow shone on his finger as he etched the word 'elder' onto the bar. Naruto simply backed away, "Alright, chill out, man."

Shikamaru slapped his face, "Alright, I'm sorry for being like this. It's just that… I've been under a lot of stress. Learning about elder magic is a lot harder than I thought it would be." He set his book down, "Hey, Mr. Barkeeper! I'm ready to order."

A blond barkeeper walked into the area. He wore bartender's uniform and blue shades. "Hello, what can I-" He stopped talking when he noticed Naruto. He hit the table and pointed, "What are you doing here?"

Naruto rose up as well, "I should be asking you the same thing!" The bartender smiled, "After I got fired from my previous job, I've been looking for work see? Some guy from this guild hired me as a bartender and a guild member. Now, tell me," He closed in, "what are you doing here?"

Naruto stretched his back, "This is my guild, Mr. Bartender." He grit his teeth, but stayed silent. "Shizuo Heiwajima. We've got to get to know each other sooner or later." He gave Naruto a business card. The card read: Shizuo Heiwajima, Bartender, Body-guard. Naruto merely pocketed the card.

Shikamaru gave his order, and Shizuo handed it to him. "Thanks. I've got to go." He headed back to his room.

Naruto and Kiba conversed while they waited for everyone else to wake up.

Later…

Hinata walked into the hall. She overheard Naruto talk about his previous mission. "So, I was like, 'How am I going to do this?" I just decided to wing it. I jumped off a chandelier from the side and I crashed into the priest. I managed to escape from his men. I still don't know why that weirdo decided to pay me so much to crash a wedding." He smiled widely.

She walked up to Naruto. "Oh, hey, Hinata. It's good to see you." He walked up and hugged her. "I was just telling everyone about my last mission." He shook his head, "It was pretty wild."

While everyone shared a good laugh, a higher-ranked member of the guild headed in. "Morning, guys." He was a silver haired man with a black facemask. "Naruto, I'm glad you made it back." He yawned out loud.

He got everyone to line up. "Alright, I'll announce your teams now."

(A/N: I don't want to give more speaking roles than necessary.)

Team 1: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Sai

Team 2: Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka

Team 3: Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame

After Kakashi finished announcing the teams, "These teams are tentative and are more flexible than previously. Alright, that's it. I'm off." He left as he said he would.

They all got together as they were announced. "Looks like things are like always, huh?" Naruto was concerned. "Alright, who's Sai?"

A pink haired girl with a red shirt introduced a black haired boy, "Naruto, this… is Sai." Naruto gave his hand, but Sai merely looked at it. He went to shake it, but Naruto took it back. "Whoops, too slow."

Naruto laughed, but Sakura slapped his back. "Naruto, why are you being so mean?" Sai just said, "It was a joke, wasn't it, Naruto?"

He merely nodded, "Sorry, but, I'm just trying to see your character." He nodded as well.

Kakashi came back with an announcement. "Alright, you'll all be headed to different places for a while. Until then, I'm afraid you can't come back." He gave each a number. Team 1 received '1', what a surprise.

"Alright, 1, 2, 3. See you soon…" As he realized, "What, what!" They were soon teleported.

Merchant Town – Alberta…

The three landed in the Port Town, Alberta. It was home to the largest merchant guild in the world. Most of the supplies in the world came from this town. "Huh, I wonder why we're here?"

"Uh, Naruto? Look around…" He snapped out of his daze and did as he was told. He saw various monsters around the city. He prepared himself, but Sai stopped him. "Wait."

As he waited, he noticed that none of the monsters seemed to have any hostile intent. "Hold on…"

An old man approached them and laughed, "I see you're curious about the monsters. The appeared here over night, about… two weeks ago. When we woke up, we were terrified for a while. But, once we saw that they meant no harm, we decided to keep them around. They're rather helpful once we got to know them."

He pointed to the various kids playing with a few of the different monsters. Some of the monsters were helping the various merchants.

The three were relieved, but Sakura was still curious. "Well, if there's nothing wrong here, then why would we be sent here?" The old man took a look at their number.

He said cheerfully, "Oh, you must be the members of the guild, Konoha. The mayor of Alberta said that he hired some members to aid our fair city. That is what you are here for, right?"

Naruto laughs awkwardly, "Well, since you're saying it like that… How can we refuse?" The three wanted to help, but couldn't feel they were roped into some intense labor.

End

Well, I guess that's it for this chapter.

The Uchiha Clan

A clan part of the trinity, including the Senju clan and the Hyuuga clan. Known for their special eye techniques, the Uchiha, as a whole, worshiped a leader, Madara Uchiha. He in turn, was responsible for creating Konoha, along with the ancient leaders of the Senju clan and Hyuuga clan.

Upon the founding of the guild, most of the fighters in the clan were told to join the Gods' Cry school of swordsmanship, an organization near the foot of Mt. Mjolnir.

Practitioners are characterized as traditional Japanese swordswomen in red and white hakuma, wielding energy attacks and swords made out of white wood. The males of the managed to make a slightly bastardized version of the technique, as the original required a womans' touch.

The history of the clan is shrouded in secrecy, as the history is lost in the darkness of time. Only scraps of information, scattered around the world, are left. No one knows of the origins of this mighty clan or its legendary eye technique.


	3. Chapter 3

Clean-Up Crew

A/N: I do not own anything in this work of fiction, except my own ideas.

Please Read and Review.

Reviewer's Corner (From Ch. 1):

Start

Naruto was indeed correct about the hard labor the three would have to go through. He did his job anyways.

One week ago…

"What do you mean, D-rank missions? These sound like jobs for illegal immigrants!" Naruto was furious. He was by himself for two years, and the state of the guild had fallen this low.

Sakura was tired of his whining, "You don't know how the world is, do you? Everyone is having financial problems right now! What have you been doing?" She tried to hear of some of Narutos accomplishments, but failed miserably.

He scratched his head, "Uh, can't say I do. I've just been training for the past two years and doing odd jobs for scratch. I've only decided to come back because Hinata asked me to come back." He went back to doing his work.

The two worked for an hour before Naruto asked again, "So, why isn't Sai working?" He pointed to Sai, who was just drawing.

Sai looked in Narutos' direction, not bothering to reply. He instead seemed to scribble something in his notebook. Naruto shrugged and went back to his work.

Someone poked his back, "Yes?" He turned around and saw Sai. He looked to see that Sai was still where he was sitting, "Oh, so you know how to do something like that, huh?"

He focused energy in his hands and said something inaudible. Suddenly, there was another copy of him. Sai remained stone-faced, but Sakura was more surprised, "Wow, Naruto, your training must be really amazing! How do you know something like that?"

He just laughed, "Looking around the world tends to do that to a guy. There are just some secrets I can't say." He went back to work, followed by his clone.

Hours later…

The four finished the days work before the night came. The old man, who had introduced himself as the foreman, thanked them. "Your reputation precedes you. Please come back tomorrow for more work." The three nodded and headed to a nearby inn to find sleep.

Over the course of the week, both Sai and Sakura had come to discover that the 'Shadow Clone' technique was Narutos' Modus Operandi. He used shadow clones to do mostly everything.

At the end of the weak, Naruto just had to ask. "Okay, so, what's the deal with these D-rank missions? Why are we doing chores for other people?" He didn't like this idea.

She responded, "Well, it's like this. More and more people outside of guilds are being hired as bodyguards for the more, high-ranking members of society. The common people can't exactly afford to hire guild members for regular missions. They hire to do these 'D-rank' missions while they make more money."

Naruto sniffed. The reasoning was pretty poor, "Wait, so the villagers make money to hire us to do jobs they could do themselves? Wow, that sounds… pretty lame."

Sakura coughed, '_You have a good point, but I still won't concede to you.' _"Well, either way, we're still going to stay here for a while." She looks at the time, "We've still got some time to kill before night. Let's go look around the city."

Naruto nodded. As a port town, there was usually something interesting to do.

From the inn, the two looked around for something interesting. There were many merchants hocking their wares. Kids were running around, playing with the various monsters wandering around town. Everything seemed to be at peace.

The sun was high, and shining in the summer day. As he struggled to find something to do, the sweltering heat was getting to him. He pointed to a store that sold ice cream, "It's hot outside, isn't it? Do you want a cone?"

She nodded, "I could use some ice cream." She sat down on a nearby bench as Naruto got their food. She enjoyed the salty sea air flowing through her hair.

Naruto interrupted her reverie, "Here you go!" She tasted the sweet and icy treat, "Hmm, this tastes awesome. What is it?"

He snickered, "Sea Salt Ice Cream! It's pretty good, right?" She continued to eat her ice pop, "So… why have you only been sending letters to Hinata? Everyone was worried about you, you know?"

He nodded and looked sullen, "Yeah… I just, had a lot going on. There were some things only I could do." I couldn't tell everyone about my own business. Sorry for troubling you."

Sakura patted him on the shoulder, "It's no big deal, just, tell someone when you're going to leave, okay?" He nodded. "C'mon, let's go."

As the two searched for more amusement, Naruto asked, "So, where is Sai today? Is he still out drawing?" She merely nodded.

"He's a weird one. I've never seen him around the guild before. He seems like a nice guy though, once you get past his attitude." Naruto had to agree.

As they looked around, they found something interesting. It was a group of people surrounding, what appeared to be two people fighting. "Well, this looks interesting."

Sakura looked at him in dismay, "Ugh, fighting? Battle maniac…" She spoke too late, as Naruto was already making jabs in the air and making swoosh sounds with his mouth. She simply joined the crowd.

The altercation ended as quickly as it had begun. A third 'combatant' knocked the two out for rough housing in his neighborhood. "You two had enough yet? How many times do I have to tell you, this is my neighborhood! There're only fights if I allow it, you got me!"

The two seemed to cringe in terror as they ran away. The crowd lost interest and left the scene. The teen dusted himself off, "These punks… they've got nothing to do but fight. Kids these days…"

"Maybe fighting is all they're good for. If you have such a big problem, why don't you force them to be functioning members of high society?" Naruto walked up and asked.

He raised an eye, but responded nonetheless, "Well, that's a problem in it of itself, you see? I'm concerned that they might be used and end up as bodyguards for the undeserving. Wait, why am I talking to you about this anyways?" He pointed, "Who the hell are you?"

Naruto pointed to himself, "Naruto Uzumaki, hunter extraordinaire. Who are you?"

The teen had red hair. He wasn't dressed like a regular teen, more like someone who was born from a lower-ranking nobleman. He wore a blue jacket with a single plate over his left shoulder. "I'm Raven, a mercenary."

Naruto raised a fist towards him, but Raven slowly started to back away. "What, you don't bump fists as a greeting where you're from?"

He slowly shook his head, "I can't say I ever did. You have an odd tradition." Naruto shook his head.

"You see, I'm trying to break traditions. Two years ago, I've decided on a new outlook on life. Traditions are holding us back from being the best people we can be. I've decided to help the world by getting rid of all unnecessary traditions."

Raven couldn't help but laugh, "Why don't you come back next year and tell me how you do?" Naruto simply smiled, "Will do, partner."

He batted an eyelash, "Partner?" By that time, the two had left.

Sakura asked, "Why did you call him, partner? Do you know something I don't?"

Naruto was quiet. He just snickered. "We should go back to the inn. We'll need to get more rest for tomorrow." When Sakura was going to ask why, he didn't respond.

The two saw Sai as they entered the inn. "It is still day. Why are you two coming back here now?"

"We've got some time to kill, but it's not an issue." The talked about what they would do tomorrow.

The Next Day…

In the night before, the mayor had sent a letter regarding their mission. They were finished for the time being, and were given the first half of their pay. The second half would be given upon completion of an escort mission. The rest of the details would be given the next day.

The three met at the mayors manor. They saw a caravan and two people, who were the assumed merchants, one a man, the other a woman. The man wore a brown suit and pants, while the woman wore a set of deep purple robes. Naruto went up to introduce themselves.

He waved, "Hello, would I be right to assume you two are the merchants?" The man turned to him, "You would be correct, sir. Please, call me Kraft. This is Holo, my er-wife." Naruto raised an eye, slightly suspicious of the man, but shrugged nonetheless.

"I'm Naruto, and these two are my teammates, Sakura and Sai." Sakura went up to him, "Naruto, don't act like the leader." He raised his hands in an apologetic manner, "Well, what am I supposed to do? Someone has to introduce themselves first!"

Another man walked up to the five, "It looks like what you said has rung true, Naruto." The three looked up and saw Raven, the mercenary the two had met the day earlier. He nudged Naruto, "How did you know we were going to be teamed together?"

Naruto scratched his head, "Well, let's say I have my sources." Raven simply nodded, "Well then, should we go?"

Just then, Naruto asked a question. "Are there any specifics of the mission we need to be aware of? Bandit attacks? Attacks from ex-elites from the capital? A group of priests hungry for your blood?" He listed off possible reasons for the protection.

The two merchants looked at each other, "Nope, just the standard bandit attacks. We're carrying a precious load, and we hope to sell most of it at Geffen." Nevertheless, Naruto was still suspicious.

He asked again, "Kraft, you are part of the Merchants Guild, correct?" He nodded, "Well, if that's the case, why can't you simply charter one of their ships?" The other two were curious of this as well. Raven didn't care too much.

He lightly scratched his face, "Well, you see, as part of a merchants training, we're supposed to earn our own money and trade to get a ship. We are not supposed to rely on others for help unless they offer it, you see." Some of this logic was faulty at best, but Naruto simply had to accept it.

Sai asked a question. "There is a one week trip from Alberta to Geffen. How well do you expect your items to sell within this time period?" He wanted to know if the merchant he was escorting was good as he hopes.

Kraft thinks about the query for a second, "Truthfully, I'm not supposed to say a word about this, but if you insist. I hope to sell our product for a good price… 200 – 250g."

Naruto was dismayed, "200 – 250? I'm making more than that on this series of missions alone!" He hears a cough, "Er, I mean… we. How can you do something like this your whole life?" He was nudged for being insensitive.

Kraft remained silent. His companion, Holo, said, "This is his dream. He wishes to own a shop of his own some day." Naruto nodded, "Okay, I understand. I just wanted to get a grip on the situation."

Kraft cleared his throat, "Well, shall we get started then?" The six set out for a week of adventure.

End

An average day for a not so average guild. I could have done so many other things, but they'll have to wait later. I'd rather not have mind=blowns and awesome events happening, than running out of ideas and doing something boring later.

I also don't play to rip off events, just characters. Yeah…

In another land…

Geffen, the city of sorcery and magic. A city where a mage of decent talents could crystallize his/her own magic and sell it for big bucks. Unfortunately, this required magic crystals. A lot of magic crystals.

Thankfully, they were promised a cache of the rare rocks in a weeks time. Of course, this didn't stop the more eager members of the Magic Guild from hiring outside help to secure the crystals for themselves.

A member of the magical guild, Orochimaru, an alchemist of moderate fame, spoke to a bandit leader. "So, you are quite sure your men can do this?"

The man of no importance, simply grunted. "Yeah, my men should be able to get them magickal stones of yours. If ya want to pay more, we might be persuaded to, you know…"

Orochimaru was getting impatient, "No, I don't know. Would you care to enlighten me?" He hissed like a snake. His golden eyes shined eerily.

The man, fearing for his life, suddenly shut up. "Er- No! I'm just sayin', if you could make it more worth our while." He then remembered, "Uh, never mind. I'll be going now!" He ran the hell out of Orochimarus' lab.

He sighed, "Good help is so hard to find these days." He made preparations for his alchemical experiments.

Unexpected Company

Version 1.00

I'm planning on doing something with to tie in the events of the two moons with the blue planet. Although, I don't know how I'm going to mix a super robot into the military of one of the moons. This won't necessarily be part of the main story though, so don't worry if super robots aren't your thing.

Version 1.01

I'm scrapping the idea about the super robot until I can think of how to logically insert Rose C'est la Vie of the Moon and the Moon Kingdom at the same time as an apostle of the Sage of Six Paths, a.k.a a ninja. I might do something with the Creator from Final Fantasy IV:TAY.


	4. Chapter 4

Escort: Merchant(s)

A/N: I do not own anything in this work of fiction, except my own ideas.

Please Read and Review.

Reviewer's Corner (From Ch. 2):

Start

The merchants, along with their appointed bodyguards left Alberta. They were waved away by the guards, and the mayor. "Remind me why we're doing this again? Isn't our contract over?" Naruto asked Sakura.

Sai answered, "Our contractor is an acquaintance to this merchant. He has apparently sold wheat and various other goods here many times. The mayor was allowed by Konoha to extend our contract until our escort is over with." He spoke as he read a book.

Narutos' mouth twitched, as he didn't like unexpected plans. However, he did know the Golden Rule of missions: Expect the unexpected. He didn't like it, but life doesn't really care about his concerns.

Sakura asked, "I thought you would have been used to this by now? Weren't you doing missions solo for two years?" She was curious about his escapades over the past two years.

He laughed sheepishly, "Oh, I've been doing this and that. I'm just not used to my guild raising the scope of our mission without my knowledge. It's very inefficient for me… I mean us." Sakura gave him a stare.

Raven decided to join in the conversation, "So, you've been doing the solo thing for two years? How did that work for you?" His eyes twinkled, as he was curious about his new 'friend'.

Naruto coughed, "Well, it's hard. I can't tell why I've been going it alone, but let's just say I'm searching for someone. Most guilds don't usually allow people to go solo unless they had a special reason, but I have an in."

Raven said, "I see…" His head slumped.

Sai was at least mildly curious about the returning member of the guild, but couldn't put it into words.

The group had to travel through a forest, filled with small animals, living trees, and insects. Otherwise, it was pretty uneventful.

Naruto asked the merchants, "Mr. Lawrence, are you alright? You seem a bit squeamish." He noticed the mans' face turn green slightly.

He seemed to turn normal, "No it's fine. I'm just not a big fan of insects. There are so many in this forest." He turned to Naruto, "And you don't need to call me Mister. I'm 25, just call me Kraft." The man had a kind smile.

Naruto returned the gesture, "I'll take you up on that, Kraft." Kraft, Narutos' senior by nine years, was different from what Naruto was expecting. He expected a crusty old man, a bit greedy, and only interested in making money. He was glad he was wrong.

Krafts' wife, Holo, snickered to herself. "You are a respectful boy, aren't you?" His attitude was slightly amusing to the woman.

Raven asked, "May I ask what are you shipping to Geffen?" He was curious, since the magic city was known for being self-sufficient.

The older man smiled, "Well, it's fair that you know what it is you all are guarding." He lifted the covers to reveal a chest. Inside the chest was a cache of different colored jewels.

Sakuras' eyes became like dinner plates, "Those are magic gemstones!" The gemstones were made of crystallized monster energy that couldn't be harnessed efficiently in too many ways. There were mages working on perfecting this esoteric art, but those were few and far between.

Kraft locked the chest and covered it up. "We carry a great burden by bringing this with us. This is why we didn't want anyone to know until we were on our way. You all seem like trustworthy people though." He smiled.

Sai questioned the merchant, "We may still betray you regardless. Why do you trust us so much?" In their line of work, it was easy for former comrades to betray each other at any time.

Kraft answered him, "You may be right, but on the other hand, you all have honest eyes. I just can't believe you all will betray us so easily." He had a gut feeling that the guild members and mercenary weren't going to betray them.

Of course, they wouldn't betray a contractor, it would kill their reputation. Sai just wanted to know if they should be careful of attack.

As they walked through more jungle, Naruto said, "We should take a rest now." He looked around.

Sakura questioned the unofficial leader, "Why do we need to do that? We have enough energy and supplies to keep going."

Naruto opened up a map to answer her question. "Okay, so, right now we're here, and we have to travel roughly in a straight line for about a week. It'll be night soon, and as you know, that's when monsters are particularly aggressive."

Raven informed, "The desert shouldn't be too big a problem, but I hear bandits are on the rise there." Naruto was a bit concerned, but it wasn't much of a problem.

He asked for the others to chime in, "Sai, Sakura, what do you think? Do we need to get more supplies or do you think we can keep going?"

Sakura was all for keeping on going, but she had to take into account what Kraft and Holo wanted as well. "Well, our mission is useless if Kraft and Holo don't agree to keep going right now."

They both ended up agreeing to take a rest early on, as the first night was coming up. One of the two moons made the monsters more ferocious, while the other seemed to calm them down. This was troublesome at times because the moons had erratic patterns, and would often make trouble for the traveling merchants.

Since there were two moons, night and day were rather short, and it was much safer to travel by second night then day.

Raven and Naruto both hunted for some firewood and food around the area. They didn't want to risk disturbing the frenzied monsters at this time.

Back at the campsite, Sakura and Sai set up tents and a campfire made up from kindling found in the area. "Why don't you guys rest for a while? We've been traveling for a few hours."

They all sat down after setting up. Sakura asked, "So, how did the two of you meet? I've never seen a merchant travel with his wife before."

The two shared a look and Kraft responded, "Well, we met when I traded with the village she was living at, right dear? I guess you can say it was love at first sight." He spoke happily, but there seemed to be something odd to his words.

Sai suspected his testimony wasn't entirely true, but he couldn't call Kraft out on it. He would watch him more carefully, though.

Naruto and Raven arrived back at the camp eventually. They brought back fruit, firewood, and some scratches. "Did you run into some monsters?" Sakura gasped at the scratches they gained.

Naruto looked at them, "Yeah, we just fought off some wolves. I could have beaten them easily, but one took me by surprise and gave me this nasty cut." He showed a frayed area on his jacket. "It's weird though. Desert wolves don't usually come this way. I know we're close to the Morrocan desert, but still…"

Raven sat down and tended to his wounds, "It's the sign of the times. Monsters are changing and they're getting wiser. Guilds are starting to become less important because cities are hiring private guards. I guess it's the march of progress." He took a swig from his flask.

Holo seemed to perk up, "Hey, can I have some of that?"

Raven looked at the woman oddly, "Well, I don't see why not, but shouldn't you ask your husband?" He felt a little shaken by her sudden interest in his alcohol.

She looked at Kraft with puppy-like eyes. He was taken aback at the his wifes' sudden cuteness, and couldn't think logically. He gave up and said, "Uh, sure, go ahead."

Raven narrowed his eyes at the man, but didn't care too much. He handed the woman his flask. She thanked Raven silently as she drained some of the flask. She handed it back not too long after. He shook the flask but heard no liquid. He pocketed it, groaning about the lack of alcohol for the week.

Holo said apologetically, "I'm sorry for drinking all of it, Raven. I'm just so thirsty." Her statement turned some heads.

Sakura pointed out, "You realize we have a few waterskins, don't you? You even have a few yourselves. You should have drunk the water instead." She worried about what kind of client they were protecting.

Kraft spoke timidly, "Uh, well, you see… Holo has an interesting experience with alcohol." He seemed to giggle to himself.

Naruto groaned inwardly, "_Oh, great… That kind of person." _He was unsure whether to continue escorting them, or just leaving them to die in the forest. However, he was a gentleman, and gentlemen didn't leave people to die in forests.

He looked at the moon, "Well, it'll be a few hours until day. We'll have to make it to the desert before then. I'll keep first watch." He stood up and created a clone. The process shocked Kraft, but Holo just shouted, "Cool!"

The clone kept watch before the first moon moved. The group traveled expediently, taking an hour to arrive at a crossroads. "We can either go through Payon or go through the faster path."

Kraft said, "What's the difference?"

"There are relatively dangerous giant spiders in the path. If we get through safely, it'll take a whole day off our trek. Otherwise, we'll be able to spend a day in civilization and get some rest for our desert trek."

Kraft made his decision, "If we make it one day late, I might lose my deal. We'll have to go through the forest." He had a reputation for being a good merchant. He didn't want to risk making a good profit. He also believed his bodyguards were strong enough to take care of them.

Naruto responded, "Alright, let's do it your way then." He folded up his map and they headed through the forest.

They passed through the forest route. The route had more trees, which meant more chances for them to be ambushed by monsters, namely the giant spiders Naruto had mentioned.

It happened as soon as the area started darkening, from the shadows under the thick foliage. Giant spiders quickly came down from the surrounding trees. It was surprising how the weak-looking trees could support the spiders' weight.

While Naruto and Raven kept them busy from the back, Sai and Sakura escorted the cart and merchants. "We'll come your way as soon as we make sure none of these things will follow."

As a spider went for the kill, Naruto blocked the legs and knocked it into a tree. Raven just sliced the damn things in half. "These things are horrifying. How could you live here?"

Naruto snickered, "I find forests soothing. That said, I don't particularly care for giant insects. I do have a friend who specializes in them though." He struck another few spiders down. "I think that's enough. We'll have to make our way back to them." The two rushed back to the cart.

With Kraft and the others, things weren't looking too bad. There were spiders attacking them, but Sai and Sakura weren't completely incapable. Sai displayed competence with a blade while was able to support him from the sidelines.

Sai drew some creatures to take on some spiders because he felt overwhelmed. Sakura, being more supportive rather than action oriented, was not too much help. Luckily, her supportive magic could work on his ink apparitions.

He drew two knights, armored with thick metal and each carrying a regulation spear. "These should last until Naruto and Raven arrive." He gutted a spider with relative ease.

The quickly routed the enemy. Whatever reinforcements were too afraid to come out. Sakura noted, "We should be safe now."

Naruto and Raven arrived, panting. "Hey, it looks like you guys are alright. Were there others here a moment ago?" He sensed two others.

Sai fell down, previously running on adrenaline. "My drawing technique uses a lot of energy. I need more practice."

Light surrounded the fighters. The scratches slowly disappeared, although Sai was still down. Sakura noted, "Too bad the spells do nothing for stamina. You'll need to rest before continuing." Basic healing spells only healed minor injuries, not anything stamina related.

Naruto nodded, "It shouldn't be too much of a problem. As long as you don't use your drawing technique, we should get out of the forest relatively safe."

The rest of the trip was safe. Apart from a few more encounters, nothing too dangerous happened.

Making their way out of the forest, Kraft noted, "That was pretty dangerous, wasn't it? But thankfully, we got out safely."

Holo said cheerfully, "Fortune is on our side after all. Hopefully, we can make it through the desert safely as well."

However, Naruto opened up his map again, "Okay, it looks like we only have a bit of desert to go through before heading to Prontera. It'll take a whole day to reach the real desert, and like I said, there is a rise of bandit activity."

He folded up his map again, "Well, let's go. It'll turn to second night in a few hours. Let's at least try to get to the desert before then."

Holo shouted, "Okay!" Naruto folded up his map before they continued.

They arrived at the desert in a few hours. It was going to turn night in a few hours, so they opted to rest in the other half of the area. (A river separates the area into a grassy field and the desert.)

The group rested up the same as before. The area was bathed in a pacifying light, which allowed for easier foraging. The other four discussed other matters.

Holo asked, "Sakura, what do you think of Naruto?" She asked in a teasing voice.

The young pinkette was slightly flustered, "W-what do you mean? He's just a friend, nothing more."

Holo smiled mischievously, but Kraft sighed, "I apologize for her question. We just don't get too many chances to talk to other people."

Sakura coughed, "No, I understand. I was just shocked by the question. I haven't seen Naruto since the last two years, after all. It's strange to be with him again."

Sai noted her tone of voice, but regarded it as none of his business. "Kraft, do you mind me asking a question?" He wanted to change the subject.

Kraft raised his eyes, "Well, you already asked one, but sure." He was also eager to change the subject.

"From where did you get so many magic gemstones? Those are pretty rare. The fact you've obtained so many is odd. How did you get so many so quickly?"

He was stuck. He didn't know how to answer the question without breaking one of his rules. He had a certain client who gave him the gemstones.

"_These gems should help you reach your dreams. All I need you to do is to charter a ship to Alberta. From there, everything should start to work in your favor."_

The cloaked stranger only asked for Kraft not to give anyone information about him.

He answered with a smile, "I'm a very good merchant."

Holo thought to herself, "_What kind of flimsy reasoning is that? Nonetheless, the gemstones were hard to come by…"_ She had to hope they would fall for it. This was a chance for Kraft to realize his dream.

As Sakura was about to answer, Sai said, "That's certainly believable."

Of course, he didn't believe it. Though he couldn't just force his client to answer uncomfortable questions. He needed proof.

Raven and Naruto arrived to with supplies again. Raven would keep watch this time, though he didn't believe there would be too much trouble.

Later…

During second night, as the other moon bathed the area in it's light, a man appeared. He had a group of men behind him, "Alright boys, let's take a look at our quarry. The Snake Alchemist paid us a lot of money to steal magic gemstones from two merchants. I just want you all to remember this. This means don't kill the merchants. We don't need any damn knights after us."

The group neared the merchants and bodyguards campfire. A bandit laughed quietly, "_Easy pickings." _Most of them thought along these lines.

As they approached the campsite, there was a slight cracking sound. The offending man was quietly bereted. It was too late.

"You can stop beating around the bush." The group turned their head to the voice, and saw the red-head bodyguard. "You guys are too obvious."

The hawkeyed mercenary approached the big group. He look around, "Ten? Hardly a workout." He silently dispatched an enemy.

As they attempted to flee, both Sai and Naruto impeded their path.

The opposition steeled their nerves and assaulted their foes. However, they were quickly knocked out.

When the last one was left, he tried to beg for forgiveness. "Please don't kill me. I'm only doing this for money."

Sai lifted the scruff of his neck, "Then tell us what you know? How do you know to 'ambush' us here?" He threatened the man with his blade handling.

The man was scared out of his wits. He responded, "My boss… the man he's working for is…" As he was about to make the big reveal, he started to choke.

Speaking with a concerned voice, Naruto asked, "What the hell is going on?" After the man finished choking, a shadowy snake appeared out of the mans' mouth. The snake hissed before fading away.

Similar snakes appeared from the others' mouths. They died instantly.

Sai breathed loudly, "Well, this is… odd. What could be going on?" Naruto had an idea, but he couldn't just reveal it without proof.

"_This is gonna be a long week."_

The next day…

The three tried to figure out who sent the bandits, but they came up with no ideas. They didn't want to alarm the others. Traveling the country was already troubling enough without other worries.

The three hid the remains of the bodies after they died. It was gruesome work, but they managed to do it. Although one person was watching them do the deed.

The group headed for the desert. Naruto put his headband over his face. "So, that dorky headband isn't just for show?"

He grinned, "It pays to be prepared, right?"

The desert wind blew fiercely. The sand massively slowed the cart. "Isn't there a way to get around the desert?"

Sakura responded, "People have discussed making a route through the desert, but desert bandits ruin any attempts at this. They're free to do as they please, and the local government won't do anything about it."

Kraft raised an eye, "Why is that? I've never understood the desert culture."

Sai informed the merchants. "You'll get your chance to ask them. I can feel them surrounding us." His heightened senses told him to beware of enemies.

Holo sniffed the air, "We've been watched since we started walking here. It was only a matter of time before they started closing in on us. The question was when they would attack?"

A sandstorm blew, and figures jumped out of the sand. They counted about 10 robed bandits.

The person who seemed to be the leader spoke, "Give us your wares and we will allow you to leave with your lives." The robed man carried a wicked sword at his side.

Kraft spoke, "Excuse me, sir? I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, I need these to further my dreams. Please tell me you understand!" He was close to his dreams, but this man was in his way.

He withdrew his sword, "So, it is going to be like that, yes? Then have at you!" He charged for the merchant, but Naruto intercepted him. He replied, "You know, you're making it hard for me to do my job. So, why don't you just go away?"

He smiled, "You are a brave one, child. Do you dare face me in single handed combat?" He tried to threaten Naruto, but he wasn't too impressed.

"Hey old man, just fight me! I'm not interested in your little tricks!" He charged the bandits, as the other fights started.

He snarled, "You ungrateful brat! I wish to know the name of the one I will kill!" He swiped at Naruto, but missed. "Names' Naruto Uzumaki. I'll be the one taking you out." He threw a devastating hook, but his foe took it like a champ.

Sai and Raven were able to handle themselves pretty well, but Sakura wasn't too valuable in a battle. She could at least defend herself with her staff in a pinch.

She blocked a sword swing, "What are you doing? These two are non-combatants! You're not supposed to attack them!"

He attempted to stab her, "Your words do you no good, girl. We spit on your foreign declarations. The nomadic bandit tribe is free from legislation and government. We pillage freely, and the government is unable to chase after us."

Kraft and Holo stood on the sidelines, "Do you understand what they're talking about?"

Kraft coughed, "These bandits are part of a bigger group. I've heard they have more than enough followers to take on the Morrocan government. They don't do it because of the severe damage on both sides. Unfortunately, Prontera is currently unwilling to help their neighboring kingdom do anything in this situation. The bottom line is that we have to fend for ourselves."

They were surrounded, but Sai drew up more ink knights to save them.

The clang of weapons sounded in the air, as the bandits were slowly driven back. Naruto was having a one-sided match with the leader.

The two were both bruised and battered, although Naruto was doing better. "You're pretty good. I'd like to say let's do this again, but I would be lying." He struck him down.

On the desert floor, the leader smiled, "You are an interesting man, Naruto Uzumaki. We should do this again, when you're not busy escorting merchants!" He fled with the rest of his men.

The fighters were fatigued from the few fights. Sai was more tired than the others because of his ability.

They all caught their breath as Sakura healed their minor wounds. They silently thanked her and rested under the burning sun. They ended up heading out of a section of the desert just before reaching first night.

"We should be able to get near Prontera before second night. We'll be able to rest up there at an inn." She raised her arms in anticipation, "It'll be nice to rest there for a night."

Somebody whimpered. Everyone turned their head to face Holo. "Um, is something wrong with going to Prontera?"

The woman looked at Kraft, who said, "Oh… it's not a big problem at all. We just didn't plan to go to the capital." He coughed, "I didn't want to reveal this so fast… but we're being chased by some… ruthless characters." His tone grew dark, one could sense the fear in his voice.

All the bodyguards had various degrees of suspicion, but they wouldn't call the two out on anything until later. Raven replied, "We should be able to stay in Izlude, at least. Unless your searchers are looking everywhere, the satellite should be comparably safe."

Kraft nodded, "Yes, I don't think they'll be searching everywhere. Izlude should be safe for one night." He looked towards Holo, but didn't say anything.

They rested before trekking across a big stretch of desert towards civilization.

The whole trek was pretty long and uneventful. The monsters rested lazily and didn't want anything to do with the humans. The day was hot enough, and the environment made it worse. It didn't need to get even worse, if that was possible.

After passing into green land, they all fell from some exhaustion. The group decided to rest outside the desert for a while before heading to Izlude.

While resting, Sai asked, "Is there anything we should know before proceeding? This mission was originally a C-rank mission, but the situation seems to be changing drastically. If ruthless characters are chasing you, they may possibly send people we can't handle on our own. So, please, tell us what we need to know."

The two looked at each other. Kraft said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I can't tell you anymore. This is all I can say."

"If you are withholding valuable information on us, I'm afraid we will have to call off this mission if it turns out to be too danger-" Naruto stopped him mid-sentence.

He chuckled, "Woah there, Sai. First of all, we don't know how dangerous these people are. Secondly, what kind of authority would they have, and who could they send after us anyways? Either way, I'm ready for a showdown." He snickered.

Raven nodded, "I'm inclined to agree with Naruto. Besides, we've already signed up on this mission. Our respective reputation would be ruined if we leave half way."

The two others half-heartedly agreed with Naruto and Ravens' sentiments. "_Of course Naruto would think this way." _She couldn't help but miss him.

Sai didn't say a word. "_It is time now to see what makes Naruto Uzumaki so special."_

Naruto smiled cheerfully. "So, now that we've got that out of the way, tell us. Who is chasing after you?"

Prontera Church…

A congregation met to decide things. The leader of the group, a man wearing blue and white armor sat on the head seat. The armor had different letters and there was a cross on the helmet. The man was known as Seraph.

He made an elegant gesture, "Shall we proceed with events now?" They all agreed.

A man spoke, "The merchant, Kraft Lawrence and his companion Holo the Wise Wolf, continue to avoid us. It appears they have hired bodyguards who know not their true identity." Discussion sounded in the room.

Another man said, "We must send out more men if we hope to rid the land of the wolf." He cupped his hands together. "I suggest we send 'him' out."

The people muttered around the table. The Seraph seemed to be deep in concentration. "Very well. If Kami is to be successful, we must eliminate the others." They all agreed.

Merchant Escort…

They made their way towards Izlude. Sai headed in first to see if anyone was looking for Kraft or Holo. When there were no obvious signs, he signaled for the others to follow.

As they made their way inside, Naruto whispered to Sakura, "_Surprising how the church is chasing after those two, huh?"_

She said nothing as they walked. '_Why would they be after those two anyways? They seem normal enough…'_

This was a question for another day, because they would have to rest up and stock on some supplies.

At the inn they were staying at, Naruto stretched, "This bed feels so comfortable."

Raven sighed, "We've only been traveling for two nights. Don't tell me you've lived privileged life?" He was interrupted by the sound of snoring. "Son of a-"

Two hours later…

While most slept, both Raven and Sai searched for supplies. "Your teammates are interesting characters, aren't they?" He chuckled.

All Sai could do was nod, "Indeed. Although we've stayed together for a week, I can't seem to understand them clearly. Naruto is an enigma."

They stopped at a nearby general store and stocked up on some food. "Why would Kraft and Holo be chased by the church? I find it too odd."

Sai thought about it, "Perhaps one of them is charged with demonic possession. Nowadays, Prontera doesn't look too kindly on magic, but they at least tolerate it. Demon possession… is very much different. Perhaps Holo is actually…" He quickly shut up as official looking men came in.

A few swordsmen walked in. They were all clad in leather armor, with a pauldron on top. They seemed to be looking for someone, as they stopped each person on their way outside.

Raven had already spotted them, "_Don't attract too much attention." _Sai knew what to do, but it was reassuring to know his comrade knew as well.

Sai reasoned that the group was most likely looking for Holo and Kraft. He figured that they may also know the duo had hired guards, but had no idea what they looked like.

He told his theory to Raven, whom mulled over the idea. "That's certainly possible, but we shouldn't rely too much on that idea. We'll have to act natural and head towards the inn."

The two nonchalantly headed outside, as the swordsmen checked them. "Nice day, isn't it?"

Raven merely grunted, while Sai responded. He gave a dry smile, "Yes, it is rather nice outside, isn't it? My apologies for my companion, he's not the most amiable man."

After the check, "Well, everything seems to be in order. Have a nice day." He waved to the guard and shifted gears. "We must warn the others. I hope at least Naruto has waken up."

The two took a longer way, since there seemed to be a few more soldiers scouring the town. "Well, this is where the old swordsmen headquarters used to be, before they relocated to Prontera."

Raven reasoned, "The church must fear Holo if they this insistent. At this point, wouldn't their power bypass the power of the king?" He knew of the recent history, and just frowned at the state of events.

Sai wracked his brain for more information, "The king himself must be involved in this. The whole world seems to be changing rapidly, especially Prontera. The old gods left a hole to be filled with newcomers. They are attempting to overthrow the old system. Either way, it won't turn out well for us humans caught in the middle."

They both agreed to stop chattering for the moment and think of a plan. "Let's just stick with warning the others and getting out of here quickly. We'll think up a more concrete plan when we head out of the town." They both nodded and headed towards the inn separately.

As they both headed towards their destination, they noticed more swordsmen, with a knight and crusader in their ranks. '_Going to these lengths just to catch a merchant and his possibly devil-possessed wife?'_

Sai put the thoughts out of his mind for now, as he waited for Raven to show. He showed up opposite of Sai, and motioned him to approach.

"Did you see the number of soldiers searching the area?" Sai looked stone-faced, as if planning a way to get out safely. "How do you suggest we escape?"

Raven thought about it, "If push comes to shove, we'll fight our way out. We should at least be able to make it through half of them, since they don't know what we look like, only Kraft and Holo."

This plan would have to do, since time was running low.

The two headed to the inn rooms, and woke up Naruto and Kraft. The girls were already up, sad that their male acquaintances were so easily tired.

Naruto had trouble waking up, but a splash of cold water fixed that up. "Where's the fire!" He examined the situation, "Let me guess: we need to escape quickly?" He just received a nod.

The four, minus Raven, walked out of the building, quickly followed by the girls. "We'll need to try and get away without being seen." Naruto looked around, "Anyone got ideas?"

Raven walked out carrying a few sets of clothing. "We should be able to hide with these. It would be too suspicious if these two were cloaked like that, and I'm no interested in disguising myself."

Naruto smiled, "You're pretty resourceful. We could use a guy like you."

Raven closed his mouth, "Let's talk business later. Right now, we've got a job to do." Naruto nodded, reading to make their escape.

The five, minus Raven, slowly walked from their location, attempting to head out of town. The townspeople stared, although the swordsmen of Prontera bowed towards the congregation.

The five couldn't do anything but keep their heads low and move slowly through the town. They eventually made their way, through the eyes, the voices, and the long path.

They had to wait until they were far enough before lifting their robes.

Naruto said, annoyed, "Wow, that was slow. I wouldn't be able to take walking like this through the city all the time. Luckily we shouldn't have to do this much."

Kraft simply laughed, "I don't know the specifics, but I've heard that King Tristan III is looking to improve his land. He may involve the whole continent in this crusade of his."

Naruto gritted his teeth, "We'll have to worry about that later." He pointed towards Izlude, "Raven is coming. Oh no, it looks like he's running."

The red-haired man was running with what appeared to be a large group of soldiers trailing behind him. He frantically waved his arms, "Run away! I can take care of this!"

They did as he suggested, as he wanted to make more room to fight.

A male crusader and a female knight appeared out of the huddled mass, causing excited whispers amongst the cadets. The crusader wore traditional metal armor, greaves, shoulder-guards, and section with a cross. The knight wore more cloth than metal, what looked like a scarf, a metal cuirass and a knee-high skirt.

Raven whistled, "Impressive. It looks like the king has improved his soldiers the last time I've been there." He was indeed impressed, but he would have to wait to find out their capabilities.

The crusader narrowed his eyes, "Mercenary Raven… Why don't you re-join us? We could use of your services." His voice was eerily silky and smooth.

Raven stabbed his sword into the ground, "I ain't buying what you're selling." He looked as Naruto headed beside him, "I thought I told you guys to leave. I'm pretty sure the capital has already sent for reinforcements." He barked his orders.

Naruto simply turned his nose upwards, "I don't really feel like listening. I've never seen the Pronteran military in action before, and I'm real excited. C'mon, let's do this!"

The girl yawned to mock Naruto, "You can't fight us! You're nowhere near the same level!" She looked to the rookies, "You all, take the blond out while we deal with the traitor!" She had a decently high voice as she screamed her orders to the mooks.

Naruto allowed the rookies to gang up on him from all sides. "So, are all of you going to attack me at once, or are you going one at a time?" The recruits laughed around him.

They all sent different jeers towards him, which all amounted to nothing.

The recruits stormed the blond at the same time, but it wasn't much use. "Woah, too slow, not good enough, ha!" He taunted his foes as they attacked and miss.

"You ass! Stop messing around!" One of them, tired of his antics charged the boy. Naruto sniffed, "Aw! You're hurting my feelings." After joking around, he became more serious.

He charged towards the circle of foes and began to crush them one by one. He spared not a one, but did not kill them either. He either paralyzed or knocked them unconscious.

The recruits were shocked that someone roughly their age was able to beat them single-handedly, and not kill them. He spat to the side, "Raven, it looks like you're in for a two-on-one. Want me to tag you out?"

Raven chuckled, "Thanks, but no. I think I'm old enough to know my limits. I should be able to handle them myself. Go support the others." He waved his comrade off. Raven readied his sword, "Now where were we?"

The female moves in for the kill, but Raven dodges. Their swords clash, as Raven tries to attack with his free hand. The sucker punch doesn't work against her metal plate body, and she moves away. "You've changed, Raven." He ignored her.

He breathed, "Damn it, I don't have time to mess with you." He leapt forward, but was nearly blindsided by a flying shield.

The crusader caught the shield, "You've improved, but let's see how good you are after being skewered on the end of my sword?" He ran towards Raven. Raven was curious about how the crusader could run so fast with such heavy armor. Alas, this was not the time for such thoughts. He steeled himself.

Elsewhere…

Naruto headed towards where the others were heading. He saw that no soldiers were up ahead and breathed freely. '_Good, no possibility of ambush.'_

He eventually saw the others, and yelled out. "You guys are okay. Good."

Sakura looked behind him, "You left Raven behind?" She shook him, "What are you thinking? You saw those two, they're going to gang up on him and destroy him. What were you thinking?" She kept shaking him.

He held her still, "Stop shaking me!" He sighed, "I'm sure he's going to be fine. He seems to know those two, so he should be able to handle them. If I didn't believe him, I wouldn't have left him there."

She was unsure what to say, she merely responded, "Battle maniac." Naruto laughed to himself.

Sai spoke up, "Regardless of the situation, we should quickly head towards Geffen. It'll take two full days to reach the city if we go the long way. We're nearly heading towards the deadline." They all nodded.

The Next Day…

It was nearing the deadline, and Raven hadn't appeared yet. They were all worried about the fate of their mutual ally. Although Naruto continued to claim he was alright, even the blond wasn't fully aware of the red-heads' fate.

He bit his fingers, '_Maybe he was too overconfident? Aw, who knows…' _He worried about Raven, but not enough to lose his hair. There was an odd feeling in the back of his mind that he was missing something, but couldn't think of what it was.

Over the day, Naruto and Sai had to walk ahead of Kraft, Holo, and Sakura to check for ambushing soldiers. There were obvious signs of ambush, and the two dealt with them quietly enough. Kraft and Holo had no worries of getting captured.

Raven arrived with not a scratch on him before they reached Geffen. He shared his story of besting the knight and crusader in combat, although some of his story didn't match up with what Naruto knew.

They had a small celebration outside, a half-days' trip before reaching their destination. The time was so merry, even Sai joined in on it.

Naruto took a drink of the alcohol Raven offered to everyone, "Remind me, how did you fend off those two knights? They were pretty strong… I definitely thought you would have lost."

He laughed off-handedly, "What can I say? I must be more naturally gifted than I thought." His tone became slightly colder, although he still had a sarcastic air about him.

All of them, except for Sakura (1), noticed the suspicions Naruto had laid out against Raven. They all continued celebrating into the night…

Morning…

Both Sai and Sakura woke up with a splitting headache. "Ow! What the hell-" They were surprised to see most of their supplies were gone, along with Naruto, Kraft and Holo. Sakura sighed in dismay.

"Great! Where did everyone go now?" Sai took a note off of her back, "Hey, don't touch me!"

The note read, "Sai and Sakura, if you are reading this, then you have just woken up with a large headache. Raven is taking Kraft and Holo to Prontera, and I'm following them. I'm not sure how well I can fight him on my own. A desperate man is able to do almost anything for the right price. Well, hope to see you guys soon. Naruto."

Sakura dropped the letter and said angrily, "Why that little! I should get him for this!" Sai attempted to calm her down, but it was not so easy. Regardless of what was happening, they rushed off to the capital.

With Naruto and Raven…

Naruto was trailing after Raven since he woke up. He was suspicious of the red-haired man already, but couldn't say exactly what it was. He didn't want to confront Raven about it until he had all the answers.

Raven traveled near the gates of Prontera, and Naruto saw a troop of soldiers, with the knight, the crusader, a cloaked man, and a girl. The girl was bound and gagged, but one could see the red-hair, and a passing resemblance to Raven.

Narutos' eyes bulged once he made the connection. He didn't want to risk her life to finish a mission. It wouldn't end well with him recruiting Raven.

He shook himself out of his stupor when he heard the two sides deliberating. The crusader spoke, "Bring the two half-way and we'll bring the girl over."

He obeyed and took both Kraft and Holo out, both tied up. He gently woke them up for something less than ideal. The two woke up to his stern face, he quietly said, "Sorry," before roughly pulling the two up and bringing them forward.

He brought Holo into their hands and waited for them to bring the girl forward. "What are you waiting for?" His voice became more desperate.

The crusader spoke, "We no longer require your assistance." Both he and the knight started walking away, with both the red-haired girl and Holo walking forward, flanked by the soldiers.

Raven tried to rush forward, but the cloaked man blocked his path. "Get out of my way!" Raven rushed the cloaked man, but he blocked the sword. He took his cloak off and revealed himself.

The man had form fitting red armor with a flame pattern. He wore shoulder spikes and had yellow hair. "No can do." With his free hand, he knocked Raven away. He threw the sword on the ground.

Although Kraft was worried about his partner, he yelled, "Raven! Are you okay?" The red-haired man got off the ground. "Yeah, don't worry about me." He dashed towards his foe and picked up his sword. "HA!"

His foe was more agile than he realized. The man in red repeatedly dodged his attacks. He counterattacked when he had enough.

"Ugh!" Raven fell down, defeated. His sword lay on his side.

The four watched from the distance. The girl with the red hair shouted to no avail, "Big brother!" Her words fell on deaf ears.

The man in red prepared for the finishing blow, "Don't blame me, friend. Fate is a fickle bitch." As he was about to make the last strike, Naruto interrupted him.

"Hey! I'm still trying to recruit him!" He looked up to see the blond pointing his finger. "There's only so many strong guys I'm willing to look for!" The blond with the one-track mind charged his foe and attacked.

As the four were preparing to leave, the sound of fighting stopped them. "What the!" A fireball shot out of nowhere, which forced the soldiers to run away. They looked to the direction of where the fireball came from and saw a boy with purple hair and a red robe.

The red haired girl shouted, "Erk!" The crowd dispersed as the magician Erk tossed more fireballs. "Priscilla! Get away from here!" The girl started to run, but someone pushed her to the ground.

The crusader clicked his tongue, "Good hostages need to know when to stay put." He turned to Erk, "Magician! If you don't want her to die, surrender yourself! The cavalry will arrive at a moments' notice.

The man in red shouted, "Alexander! Behind you!" His cries came too late, as Raven hacked into the crusader with his sword. He fell down, his wound dripping with blood. "Damn you, coward."

The knight yelled from the sidelines, but to no avail. "I'll get you for this!" She ran towards Raven in a rampage. Her emotions got the better of her and she made a fatal mistake. Raven dispatched her easily.

The eagle-eyed mercenary dusted himself off. "Lord Brother… Might I be with you a moment?" He looked towards the second fight, "Certainly…"

The man in red let Raven get away because he was preoccupied at that moment. The two fought to a standstill. Each blow on either sides were parried or dodged. "Your quite good. Tell me your name."

Naruto let out a big sigh, "Aren't you knightly types supposed to give your names first? Or are we doing this the eastern style?" He continued to hammer his foe to no avail. One can almost sense the man in red smirk.

"They call me Agni, incarnation of a god of fire." Light flames danced around his body as he prepared himself, "What do they call you?" He prepared himself for another assault.

Naruto sniffed, "Just Naruto." He made a cross with his fingers and pulled out a staff. "Shame we couldn't meet on a happier note…" He twirled the staff and smashed it in the ground. A light shone from the staff, and he was gone. All enemy combatants and non-combatants were also spirited from the field.

The man now known as Agni blinked, '_What. The. Fuck?'_

Back at the Campsite…

They all arrived back at the campsite easily. Naruto fell down right away, "Damn, that warp staff drains a lot of energy." He smiled for another successful mission.

Raven was stumped, "Why did you do that? You could have finished him off! He'll be chasing us half way across the continent now!" He too collapsed as his adrenaline wore off.

Naruto shook his head, "Could being the operative word. I figured we'd end up nearly killing each other before his reinforcements arrived. Luckily I had thought ahead." He pointed to Sakura and Sai, "Looks like you guys read my note… Sad to say you wouldn't have been able to do much."

Sakura took offense but Sai had stopped her. "No, he is correct. Our meager abilities would have eventually slowed them down." She was still angry.

Kraft looked dumbstruck at the whole ordeal, but remembered, "Naruto! We're running out of daylight. If we don't arrive at Geffen before morning, I'll lose the deal!"

Naruto laughed, "Oh, right. That's happening!" He stood up, "Well, let's go."

Geffen – City of Magic…

The large group arrived with not too much problems.

The magician Erk introduced himself to everyone. It turned out that he was Priscilla's escort, though he lost contact with her when they were making their way through Prontera.

He got on one knee, "Lady Priscilla, I apologize for leaving you in the hands of those devious men."

She cleared her throat, "Ah, Erk, I am fine. Truth be told, the clergymen did not treat me with ill intent. It was only the act of confining my body that was unpleasant. Please rise…"

He looked lower, "Nevertheless, I could not protect you to the best of my ability. I seek a proper punishment."

Someone shouted, "Hey, hey, hey! What's the big holdup?" Naruto scrambled backward, "We've gotta go!" He looked towards Priscilla and bowed, "How do you do, miss? What would one with regal bearings be doing with a court mages' pupil?"

She was taken aback, "May I ask, sir, how you know of this?" He laughed.

"Please do not mind my mumblings." He turned to Erk, "Anyways, sort out your personal affairs when we split up."

Kraft unloaded his cache of magickal gemstones at the Magic Guild, and made a pretty penny.

The group split up, when they had all finished their business…

End

Finally done.

A/N: This chapter took me three weeks on and off to finish. I've learned… that I'm not good at typing escort chapters. I was trying to limit some of the events, but this is a big world. Some are more crucial than others.

Next chapter is an intermission of sorts that deals with what happens in the city. I like to split up main events and explanatory events, unless they're important to that specific chapter. I don't know how many of you like this way, but I'll keep trucking.

Well, here's what could happen sooner or later…

Geffen – City of Magic…

A young man with black hair stood across Naruto. He wore blue ninja attire and his hair was a ducks' ass. He carried two sheathes on his sides. His companion was pale silver haired young(?) woman with a red umbrella. She wore a form-fitting green dress and a blue sash around her waist.

Naruto laughed, "Sasuke Uchiha, you have a lot to answer for!" He pointed and became serious, "Why did you kill all those people?"

He grunted, "They were in the way. I did what needed to be done." He turned, "You don't understand what motivates me. I don't need to answer to you."

Naruto was angered, "Why are you doing all of this? You'll be dead by the end of this whole ordeal if this continues!"

Sasuke smirked, "This world… is rotting. Peace makes people weak. I'm trying to remedy this." He drew his sword and pointed to Naruto, "War is coming, Hokage candidate. Are you prepared for the oncoming storm, like me?"

Just something that's been bugging me for a few weeks…


	5. Chapter 5

Intermission and Something Else

A/N: I do not own anything in this work of fiction, except my own ideas.

Please Read and Review.

Reviewer's Corner (From Ch. 3):

Start

Glast Heim Castle – A few days earlier…

An ancient castle, ruined by the ravaging effects of time, stands still. This castle, once belonging to an unknown king, has been filled with monsters for centuries. Two people walk amongst its' once hallowed halls.

A young man walks alongside a fox-like silver haired maiden with a red umbrella and a red kimono. The young man wears traditional ninja attire and has two sheathes on his sides.

The woman with the fox-like features asked her companion haughtily, "What are we doing here? This place is too disgusting." She winced as she saw the walls and such around the castle in ruins as the two walked around.

The young man looked around, "I didn't ask you to come with me. You were free to stay at the shrine." He spotted a group of gargoyles, a masked monster with a bow and arrow. He showed a black armlet to the guards and they let him pass.

The monsters escorted him towards a large gate, guarded by a knight wearing black armor, darker than the blackest void. The knight wielded a sword as big as himself and a spear, all while riding a large horse. The knight nodded and allowed the two non-monsters to proceed through the door.

Glast Heim Churchyard…

The archers let the two into the castle and continued to patrol. A silver haired man met them, "Sasuke Uchiha… Welcome. Follow me…" He led the both of them to the middle of the building where Dark Lord was meeting with his generals, a pair of twin Dark Illusion.

The priest cleared his throat before speaking, "My lord, Sasuke Uchiha has arrived… with a companion." He bowed low and walked away.

D spoke in a gruff voice, "We'll finish this discussion at a later time…" The twins nodded to their master and vanished in shadows. A dark energy covered his hand and he laid it on his head. His skull disappeared, replaced with a more human head. His dark armor was replaced with a pair of robes. He breathed and exhaled, "Hey."

His face was younger than one would expect from someone of his station.

Sasuke was not amused, "Hay is for horses… What do you need me for?" The enigmatic leader of the monsters blinked, "Can't I just call you here to talk about the good times?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes and frowned.

D laughed to himself, before looking to his partner's companion, "So, what does one of Inari's pups want with me? Looking for more souls?" He turned to Sasuke again, "Come with me."

He flipped a secret switch and the floor moved, revealing a secret passage. He ushered his companions to follow him.

Down the passage was a laboratory. The lab was full of machines and various caged monsters. Sasuke saw a familiar machine and frowned, but decided not to make a note of it. The fox-girl noted his disdain in the general area and smiled.

D led the two to an area filled with cages, "So, tell me your name." He pointed to the girl, "Why are you following Sasuke? I thought old Inari had more efficient ways of doing what he does best?"

She smiled, "I am Yuzuruha, servant to Inari. As for why I am following young Sasuke, that's private, isn't it?" She smiled coyly.

D looked irritated, but continued, "Alright then. Well, here's why I wanted you." He pointed to a portal, "Please tell me you recognize this." The portal was covered in runes and depictions of ancient objects.

Sasuke went up to the structure, touching a faded rune, "No, I can't say I've ever seen one before." There was a feeling in the back of his mind, but he was unsure how much to believe.

D said excitedly, "This is a hell-gate; specifically, one of ten hell-gates in the world. It's currently not operational, but we should get it working in a few weeks, give or take." He smiled as he put his hand on the structure.

"Okay?" Sasuke looked around, "So, is this it, or can I go now?" D pulled his sleeve.

"Not yet." The enigma smiled, "Your fate lies in Geffen, City of Magic. I want you to speak with Orochimaru, the Snake Alchemist. If my information is correct, he should be the current head of the Magic Guild." He passed on a letter, "Deliver this, and we'll talk later."

Sasuke looked at the letter in his hand, "I'm not your errand boy, you know." He dropped the letter and started to leave.

"I know the location of your long estranged brother." The declaration stopped the young man.

He turned around, "Where is he! Tell me!" Sasuke nearly lost his composure, but became more cool-headed. Yuzuruha laughed, irritating the poor boy.

D smiled, "Just deliver the letter, and I'll tell you." He levitated the paper towards Sasuke, "I'll see you in a few weeks then."

Geffen – City of Magic…

After Naruto warped everyone out of danger, and the group finally arrived at Geffen, Kraft and Holo left to make the deal. "It'll only take a few minutes to unload the gemstones at the guild, will you please wait for us?" Even though Geffen was unaffiliated with Prontera, there were some doubts.

They all naturally accepted. Kraft gave a sigh of relief. He bowed, "We'll be out soon."

After the two were out of range, Naruto leaned towards Raven, "Y'know Raven, your sister… is incredibly beautiful. Do you mind if I attempt to court her?" He joked.

Sadly, the mercenary didn't share the blonds' sense of humor. His sword was aimed towards Narutos' neck. "Choose your next words carefully, lest they be your last."

He backed away, "Woah, I'm just joking! Your sister is indeed beautiful in her own right, but I've got a girl." He smiles, "I'm glad you've gotten back your sense of humor though." He changes his tone, "Tell me, how do you know the soldiers in Prontera? Did you work as one before you fell out with them?"

Everyone listened intently, but Raven narrowed his eyes. "That information is restricted." He sheathed his sword, "Since our business is completed, I will take my leave."

Priscilla rushed towards Raven, "Lord Brother, may I journey with you?"

His voice was still, yet one could sense some tension, "… I cannot let you stay with me. I have… too many skeletons' in my closet to let you, my dear sister, follow me to hell. Please, speak no more of this." He started to walk away.

She rushed towards him and showed a ring on her finger, "Do you remember this ring?" She started to tear up.

He was slightly taken aback, though he said, "Hmm, what's that?" His tone became a bit rigid.

Her voice became slightly more desperate, "You have forgotten... That is too bad. When I was young... When I was with you... You made a promise to me, brother. You said: When I grew older, you would take me as your bride."

He said nothing, then, "But surely…"

"Yes, I know. It was a child's game. So you said to me as I cried and cried... And then you gave me this ring." Priscilla looked to be on the verge of tearing up.

"...And you still..." Raven looked a bit guilty, knowing what would happen if he let her accompany him.

"I am still a child - So allow me one more childish wish of you. Please, let me stand here, by your side. Don't make me suffer in loneliness again." She attempted to embrace him, and he let her. "Please don't leave me alone."

Everyone on the sidelines simply stood there, but one didn't have the patience.

Naruto spoke, breaking the heartwarming moment, "Why don't the three of you join our guild!" His loud declaration broke up their concentration.

Priscilla looked to the blond, "What? Join your guild?" She was thinking about the proposal.

Erks' eyes suddenly bulged, "Woah! Please don't tell me you are roping me into this plan of yours! I was only supposed to be protecting Lady Priscilla. I'm afraid I can't just join a guild like that." He snapped his fingers.

Raven narrowed his eyes to the blond, "Don't rope my younger sister into things you can't handle, Uzumaki. My blade has your name on it, and I'm not afraid to kill you."

Naruto crossed his arms, "I was thinking… If the three of you joined the guild, your needs would effectively be met. Erk would be the most difficult though, but I think we can manage with him." He pointed to the brother and sister, "You two will mostly be together, and our guild has other strong members as well. Trust me, your sister is in good hands, provided you join of course."

On one hand, Raven didn't want to join the shady bunch. On the other, he couldn't live with himself if his younger sister died in some fashion because of him. "Very well… I'll have a trial period. If your 'guild' doesn't live up to my expectations, I'll have to leave, along with her."

The guild members smiled, hoping for the best.

"Yoo-hoo!" They heard Holos' voice, followed by a tired looking Kraft. What could have happened to make him look so worn out?

Sakura ran up to him, "Kraft! You look terrible! Did something happen while you were at the guild?" She was concerned for her charge, and not at all thinking about the money she would lose out on if he somehow died.

He managed to give some explanation, "No, I'm fine… It's just… those eyes…" He started to develop a cold sweat, but it passed.

Holo slapped his back, "The leader of the Magic Guild, Orochimaru… His eyes must have had a profound effect on our little merchant." She was genuinely concerned about his health.

Geffen Tower – Headquarters of the Guild…

Geffen Tower, the center of all human magic. This is the place where most of the world's magic is studied, by nearly all sorts of magicians. The leader of the human mages, Orochimaru, the Snake Alchemist, once head of the Alchemists' Guild, became the head of all human mages in a single night.

The man had black hair, pale skin, and snake-like eyes. He wore the traditional alchemist robes and his own purple sash. He had a presence around him that made most feel uncomfortable. He was currently in his lab, doing an experiment.

A young man with silver hair walked in, "Master Orochimaru, a… Sasuke Uchiha, is here to see you. He says it is important business."

Orochimaru turns from his experiments, "Uchiha, eh? I've heard of that name… Bring in the young one. See to it that he is well fed and watered." As he turned back, he came face to face with his uninvited guest.

Sasuke sneered, "I don't have time to wait, Alchemist. Take this damn letter." He thrust the piece of paper into the alchemists' hands. "I'll be on my way."

The silver haired man stopped him, "You dare to disrespect Master Orochimaru!" He took out some sort of tool, and prepared to strike. Sasuke gripped his sword.

"Stop!" They both stopped, "Kabuto! That is no way to behave in front of an honored guest!" He quickly read the note, muttering, "Ah. I see. Interesting. Hmm…"

As soon as he finished, "Sasuke Uchiha, come with me. Kabuto, you had better come too." The two were led deeper into his laboratory.

He led the two to another hell-gate, "I suppose by this point, you recognize this structure." The gate was similar, although it had different runes.

Sasuke leaned more closely, "A hell-gate… but this one is different." He rubbed a rune, and it faintly glowed, "What the-"

Orochimaru crept closer, "Ah, I see… You've touched D's hell-gate. That explains it…" He made a note of the phenomenon, "When a hell-gate touches another, as long as there has been contact, a resonance effect will take place. Even a bit of dust will suffice."

Sasuke eyed the structure, he then returned his gaze to Orochimaru, "You know what this does, don't you? Tell me, I demand to know!" He didn't like secrets.

Orochimaru laughed, "Of course, young Sasuke." He put his hands on his back, "Hell-gates were created to make a bridge between this world, and demon world. Certain cultists and other individuals in ancient times created these gates to use demons to many ends. When all ten or how many there are at a time are active, the gate in demon world will activate, allowing the strongest of demons to arrive through the threshold."

"As of now, only two are active. Because of this, only the weakest of demons will arrive. Of course, the weakest of demons are more than a match for most untrained soldiers. Imagine when two more open? The results will be catastrophic!" He laughed in glee.

Sasuke looked at the structure, "So, are you going to try to open this?"

He merely shook his head, "I do not wish to, unless you are interested in raising hell?"

Sasuke merely left the room, thinking about learning more about his brother.

Orochimaru smirked, "_Sasuke Uchiha…" _He smiled as he started to piece his plan together. "Kabuto, ready the lab. We must experiment." Kabuto nodded.

Outside…

D warned Sasuke to not let Yuzuruha in the building, as snakes historically did not get along with foxes. "So, did that old snake tell you anything interesting?"

He shook his head, "Let's go…"

The two left…

With Naruto and the others…

The guild members, the tentative guild members decided to put Holo and Kraft under their protection. "I can't, under good consciousness, put the two of you in danger, when I know there is a psycho after you guys."

Both Holo and Kraft decided it would be for the best, deciding that it was impossible to win against a hyper idiot.

End

I like Sasukes' character, I don't care what people say. While I don't entirely like how he was built up in the original manga, I still like him.

He's got some issues of his own to deal with, starting… this.

Evil doesn't always find a way

Meeting: Dark Lord + Sasuke

After the brutal slaughter during a regular mission gone awry, Sasuke left the guild, Konoha. Some of the guild members, including Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kiba, chased after him, but they were unable to continuously track him, as his signs had disappeared.

Unbeknownst to them, but beknownst to us, Dark Lord had orchestrated the whole event. He needed a protégé, for when he got bored.

Through some time of spying, he found the perfect body to start molding into a strong warrior of darkness. Of course, he needed a pure warrior, neither good nor evil… someone balanced enough that he would not be influenced by either side.

Sasuke, a bit maddened by the whole ordeal, tried to kill himself. A stray arrow shot by a lone gargoyle interrupted him. "Human, you will come with me!"

He grit his teeth, intent on killing the offending monster for his daring attitude, was stopped by a knight, a knight of abyss. The knight had a booming voice, "Come with me if you wish to live!" He created a portal with his sword.

Sasuke turned around to see all sorts of dark creatures, from the darkest reaches of the imagination, come from the gargoyles side. He sided with the knight, possibly the greater of two evils. He jumped into the portal.

The illusions disappeared as the knight commented, "Your illusions suck!" The gargoyle turned away, back to Glast Heim Castle, in shame.

Glast Heim Churchyard…

He was teleported to the inside of the church of Glast Heim, a castle once ruled by a benevolent king. Now, Dark Lord, otherwise known as D, has taken it for his base of operations.

Dark Illusions, the weaker cousins to the two general Dark Illusions gathered around. Sasuke tried to ward them off, but it was no use.

A girl with blue hair in a maids outfit stopped nearby, "STOP!" The illusions obeyed, and quietly left the area. She walked forward, sweeping all the while, "Oh, you must be Sasuke Uchiha. The master will be here in a second. He is currently doing a castle wide inspection." Sasuke simply nodded.

She pulled out a wand, "Do you need a place to sit?" He looked around, and saw stone pews, none looking too comfortable, "I'm fine thanks."

She raised an eye, "Are you sure? I can magic up a mean bean bag chair?"

This time he raised an eye, "What's a bean bag chair?"

She pouted, "Oh, you don't know what that is… Time difference. My bad…" She magic'ed one up anyways. "Doesn't it feel comfortable?"

He sat down in the chair, "Hey, it does feel comfortable. Thanks, er…"

She smiled and put her wand away, "Alice, for future reference. I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other a lot from now on." She looked to the side. "Oh, he's here! He's here!"

Dark Lord made an extravagant entrance, as usual. She sighed, "Dark Lord… He's so dreamy." She quickly walked away.

As he walked up, "Ah, Sasuke Uchiha! Just the boy I wanted to see." His eyes however, gazed lower, "Neat! A bean bag chair. Alice doesn't just summon those up for anyone. You should feel lucky."

After introductions had been made, D showed Sasuke his laboratory.

Inside a small room, he showed the boy a machine with many intricate buttons. "We'll be starting with this." He turned to the boy, "Now, once you go through with this, you can never return to normal. Do you want to do this?"

Sasuke protested, "You've never told me what this machine does!"

D laughed, "Isn't that half the fun?" Sasuke accepted. Whatever it did, he would accept the effects.

D strapped the boy in. "I'll be balancing both your evil and good now."

As soon as Sasuke opened his mouth, D flipped the switch. The machine started to rumble, and the boy lost consciousness.

A view screen on the side opened up, as Sasuke was seen with a slightly darker version, and a slightly lighter version of himself. D spoke into the machine, "Now, start fighting."

The three started to fight instantly.

D made comments on and off, specifically regarding the matter of his evil side. "Yes, embrace the evil! Team up with it to fight your light side, and betray it! Become evil, and then destroy it! Make your evil side your bitch!" He laughed heartily.

The machine fizzled, and Sasuke awoke. He looked at himself.

D looked at him, "You… are… good to go. You'll find a room to your left. After you put on the clothes you like, we can begin." Sasuke nodded.

End

Well, that was fun. I'll probably add some more sayings and maybe more details, but I wanted to do this for fun. Next mission will take a bit to update, but hopefully not three weeks on and off.

I wanted to create kind of a mentor like character for Sasuke. I also don't exactly like 'evil' characters. I do prefer lawful neutral to chaotic evil or lawful evil, as well. I don't know how well I did. More details regarding the fight will be added later.

I don't know if my other stories will get more attention. Leave a review and tell me what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

Tales of a Sleepless Night

A/N: I do not own anything in this work of fiction, except my own ideas.

Please Read and Review.

Reviewer's Corner (From Ch. 4):

Start

Payon – Konoha Guild Hall…

Everyone used the Geffen Warp Point to arrive safely at Payon, near the guild hall. "So, this is Payon…" Although Kraft, as a merchant, was always on the road, he had never seen the lush green forests of Payon. There was a sweet smelling breeze in the air.

"The air is really quite fresh here." There was an audible sniff from Holo. She simply stood there, at peace with the land.

Naruto walked forward, "Well, we should get you all settled in." They all walked towards a giant tree with their guild symbol. "What the heck is that?"

Sakura smiled, "It's our guild hall, guys." She looked at it, "Oh, you guys were surprised that we all did business in a giant tree." She laughed off to the side.

Sai coughed, "It will take one a few days to get used to this sight… But, you all will come to enjoy it one day."

After the initial shock, everyone walked in. They were met with some greetings from a few of the guild members. "Hey, guys." Shikamaru lazily drawled. "Who did you invite?" Both he and Kiba were sitting at the bar.

Naruto pointed backwards, "We got two fugitives, a mercenary, his sister, and her guardian. How did you guys do on your respective missions?"

Shikamaru made a 'so-so' gesture, "It was alright. We were warped near Aldebaran. We helped clean up the town, though it was prone to monster attacks." He sighed, "Chouji and Ino are both resting upstairs."

Kiba looked more cheerful, "Oh yeah, it went pretty well. We just had to take care of some bandits around the Morroc area."

Naruto looked at him and said snidely, "I'd say you didn't do a good job, then."

His friend gave an odd look, "What do you mean?" He was curious to know what Naruto knew. "Besides, it wasn't our job to actively chase the bandits. That was for the Assassins Guild."

Narutos' eyes widened, "Damn, the Assassins Guild of Morroc? They're pretty hardcore, aren't they? Why would they be chasing after simple bandits?"

Kiba shrugged, "Hell if I know. You'll have to ask the Hokage." He went back to his drink. "We're supposed to have a meeting later."

Naruto nodded, "Alright, then." He saw that both Sai and Sakura had led the others off. "Looks like it'll be a quiet night."

Later…

Naruto petitioned for Raven, Erk, and Priscilla to join the guild. "Naruto, your mood is changing too drastically."

Kakashi chastised the blond, as he smirked. "Are they able to join?"

The silver-haired man thought about it, "It's not the question if they're able to. I'm just worried because you strong-armed them into it. Besides, I don't know if Master Sarutobi is able to petition for someone like Erk to join."

Naruto grumbled under his breath. "Alright, well, tell me if anything new pops up."

"Oh, by the way…" Kakashi had called him back. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Naruto merely shook his head. "Well, I wish you the best of luck." The teacher quietly cared for his student from afar.

"Thanks." The blond walked downstairs.

'_Naruto… You might not like what you find at the end of the path…' _He went to do some paper work, which seemed to relax him for some reason.

Nearby…

In another room, Kiba, wanted to talk to Holo, a girl who smelled of wolves. His keen nose first picked up the smell when he saw the newcomers. He didn't want to say anything, unless they already knew what was going on. When no one seemed to say anything, he did some investigating of his own.

He asked his animal companion, Akamaru, a considerably big dog, if he had any idea what it was. They narrowed it down to Kraft and Holo, the merchant duo.

Although he found the smell on Kraft, he knew it was more because he was with Holo, than because he was a wolf. Kiba waited until the girl was alone.

When Kraft walked outside, without Holo, Kiba took his chance to speak with the girl. He took Akamaru in case the talk went south.

The girl was brushing her hair, "Oh, I didn't recall calling someone in here."

Kiba didn't say a word, merely trying to perceive and figure out who she was. "So, you came here with my guild members."

She put down the hairbrush, "Yes. They were quite nice, inviting Kraft and I under their protection for the time being. They're really quite sweet."

As they spoke, both Akamaru and Kiba continually tried to perceive the girl. They figured out that she wasn't just a regular human girl.

Meanwhile, Holo wasn't letting down an inch. She had told Kraft of her true identity, but did not tell it to her new comrades. She knew that a few of them may have had an inkling of who she could be, but they didn't say anything.

They talked for a bit, regarding the events, the girl missing some of the finer details.

She walked towards Akamaru, smiling. "Oh, you have such an adorable dog." She nuzzled the dog, and he barked happily.

The boy was still unimpressed, but his companion seemed to like her. He stood up, "Come, Akamaru."

The dog barked and they left. "Remember, I'm still watching you."

She watched them, and giggled. _'You'll have to do much better than that to catch me, dog breath.'_

Kraft walked in, "I just saw Narutos' friend, Kiba, come out. Did he want to talk about something?" He wondered.

Holo continued to brush her hair, "Oh, nothing. We just chatted for a bit." Kraft nodded.

Meanwhile…

Both Sai and Sakura were with two other members from two different teams, Hinata and Chouji.

Hinata wore the traditional Hyuuga white robes. She kept her ears hidden, as not to stun those who weren't usually supposed to be there.

Chouji wore plate mail over his red clothes. He was a bit bigger than average, so he had stronger armor fitted for him. "So, what brash thing did Naruto do now?"

Sakura sighed, "He brought back two people who need protection. I'm not against it, but it's going to expand some of our resources we desperately need."

Sai merely said, "Hopefully, the others will be able to help in time. Perhaps Naruto knows more than we think."

While Sakura silently fumed at the blond, Chouji asked, "What do you know about the people you've invited back here?"

Sai narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?" He was curious to see what Chouji knew.

Hinata spoke up, "I've heard that the church is looking for a red-haired deserter with a large sword." When they all looked at her, "The Hyuuga clan is influential, even outside of Payon. We have contacts all around the world."

Chouji nodded, "From what I heard, a certain noblemans' daughter was lost near Prontera. The church tried to cover it up, but the ones in the know were already aware. Now, they're trying to find her."

Sakura looked down, "Yeah… You guys are too good. All Raven told us was that he used to be a Pronteran swordsman, before he became a mercenary. Priscilla told us she was captured by the church, before they used her in the hostage exchange."

They exchanged their information. Afterwards, Chouji exclaimed excitedly, "Naruto, that son of a bitch!" It was more out of amazement, than anger.

Hinata giggled, "That sounds like something he would do."

The four continued to discuss the mission details, while waiting for the meeting. "Do you think those three can get in?"

Hinata nodded, "I hope so. They feel like good people. Master Sarutobi has never rejected people before." A bell rang.

They all stood up to head to the main room.

The Meeting…

They met in the main foyer. Most of the teams were there, teams 7 through 10, including their old mentors. Two people flanked the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi

He was the oldest and the strongest in the guild currently. Nicknamed 'The Professor', he helped the guild through a turbulent time after their previous leader died.

The man wore the regular clothes of a Hokage, a pair of white robes with a flame design at the bottom.

He looked at everyone in the room, "Well, I'm not one for overly long meetings, so let's get this over with." He looked towards Team 7, "Is it right that you all invited a few people back to the guild?"

Sakura responded, "Master Sarutobi, it was actually Naruto who invited them. Both Sai and I didn't have anything to do with it."

He merely nodded, "Well, it seems like we'll need to throw a welcoming party!" He did some more general meeting procedures, which involved penning mission reports.

The party was enjoyable for all involved, and involved considerable drinking… People fell asleep wherever they fell after they became tired.

Dream Sequence – Naruto…

He dreamed of the past, the days before everything went sour… when he was considerably happier.

A few years ago…

A young blond boy woke up in the village. He wore an orange vest and pants. He was without a family, but he wasn't unhappy. He continually tried to push himself above his limits, and was happy with his results. The previous night, he overworked himself, but he simply laughed it off.

He was apart of the guild, Konoha. As of that time, he was D rank, the lowest rank in the guild. He wiped the sleep out of his eye, "Today is going to be great!"

He lived in a small one-room apartment in the village. It was in a secluded area, near the Archers' Village. He could usually see some of the students of the archery school practicing from afar.

Every time he walked out his house, he could feel the forest breeze in his hair. He always enjoyed the wind and never minded it.

He rushed to the giant tree of a headquarters. Most outsiders thought it was silly, but they weren't in the know.

Centuries ago, most of the known world was nearly destroyed by a malevolent group, intent on remaking the world. A small band of heroes set out to stop the devilish plot, until an unavoidable event happened.

Both groups sought after the heart of the world. In the end, the magickal item destroyed both groups. A heroic sacrifice allowed the blue planet to be saved, although it paved the path for more unruly beings.

The heroic descendents, the first guild leaders of Rune-Midgard, were unable to do anything about celestial intruders, those with heavenly powers. They were however, able to stop the Devils' Portal, a large portal that allowed all forms of abominations through.

The descendents were able to split the portal into ten pieces and created ten hell-gates in different area of the world. They inscribed warnings on the gates with the common rune language, incase someone would discover the damned constructs.

Hashirama Senju, the Sage of the Forest, returned to his home village of Payon, after constructing his share of the portals. He hoped for peace, but knew that would not happen so easily. "As a whole, humans… are feeble creatures."

Somewhere in his heart, he knew that something would go wrong in the world. He gathered his clanmates, including his brother Tobirama Senju, and other influential clans, from his ancestral home of Amatsu, together. He formed the first guild, with a giant tree as its foundation.

The Senju was rumored to be not completely human. The Hyuuga clan was able to see something, unique, about his bloodline, though they couldn't pinpoint what it was and where it came from. All they knew was that he had an ability to control nature.

The hall was filled, like usual. Most of the teams were there, along with their mentors. Naruto, and the other trainees, were expected to meet in another room. "Morning, Naruto. You're a bit late." Kakashi walked up to him.

He bowed, "Sorry about that. I got caught up in my training and I fell asleep late." They headed up together, to where they met the other trainees.

Kakashi left Naruto with the others, and waited for everyone else to show up.

Kiba called out to him, "Hey, Naruto! Come over here!" Naruto walked over to his circle of friends which included Kiba, Shikamaru, and Chouji. "What were you up to yesterday?"

He sighed, "I was up late training. I didn't want Sasuke to show me up." They all looked in the corner and saw a boy with black hair. He wore the insignia of his clan, a red and white fan, on the back of his clothes, a blue shirt and white loose fitting pants. He seemed to be in his own world.

A few girls seemed to be fawning over him, causing a little division between him and the rest of the boys. "Who does he think he is?"

Shikamaru pulled the two, Naruto and Kiba, back, "It's never worth it. Let's just talk about something else." After seeing the two calm down, "What do you think is going on today?"

They all shrugged, "Who knows?" A few instructors walked in. "I guess we'll know in a second."

One of the guilds special instructors, Ibiki Morino, walked in. The man wore a heavy trench coat and a black bandana. He had piercing eyes, from years of experience working on the front lines.

He spoke in a booming voice, "Attention!" Everyone stood up.

"As this is the last year of you training to be full-fledged guild members, you must all pass this rigorous test of character. Some of you may not come back… They will be surely missed."

The looks of terror on their faces made him laugh, "No one will be dying on my watch! As soon as any of you are in considerable danger, you will be safely transported outside the mission area. You will have to wait a full year to re-test, though. You're all free to come now, or improve your skills, and try again next year." He smiled.

There was discussion amongst the initiates, whether they wanted to proceed with the possibly fatal test or not. A few raised their hands to be excused from the proceedings. They were to be excused from the test.

Ibiki looked around, "Alright, quite a few of you want to become a part of Konoha, huh?"

"Ibiki, quit beating around the bush and tell em' what to do." A woman appeared from the doorway. She had purplish hair and a cream colored coat. She wore fishnets under her coat and biker shorts.

He exhaled, "Alright then. You're all out of my hands." He walked away.

The new instructor introduced herself, "My name is Anko Mitarashi. I'll be taking you all to your exam site." She pulled out a map of the area, and pointed to the cave, situated outside the Archers' Village.

"We'll be heading to Payon Cave. Inside, there is a shrine. I want all of you to get to the shrine within two days… There are monsters inside, and as he explained, if any of you get into mortal danger, you'll be transported out of there. Any questions?"

Chouji raised a hand, "What do we do about food?" The question caus(ed a few snickers.

She looked at him pointedly, "There are plants all around the cave. Most of them are safe to eat…" She looked for another hand. When she saw none, she continued.

"Now, all of you will draw lots to determine who you'll be partnered up with. These will be groups of three. Last second warning: Either you all pass, or none of you pass. If you want to leave, better do it now."

After no one left the group, someone presented a hat to the instructor. "Come get your lots."

(A/N: I'm skipping the formalities.)

Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha

Team 8: Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame

Team 10: Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka

The groups met together and were generally amiable. Team 10 had the added benefit of having similar backgrounds. Their parents took a similar test together. They passed their skills to their children, who had similar synergy.

Team 8 was similar, but not as close. There were no outstanding rivalries, or any sort of negative relationships, which would ruin the team dynamics.

Team 7 was perhaps the most counter-intuitive. Both Naruto and Sasuke didn't want anything to do with one another, and Sakura seemed to be infatuated with the brooder, lowering her overall performance.

Anko continued, "You'll all be watched over by either Kakashi, Kurenai, or Asuma from the shadows. They'll determine whether you all are able to continue or not." A few cries were heard, but she ignored them.

A woman on the sidelines said, "This is for your own good. What good can you do if you're going to die trying?" She had black hair and wore a superfluous amount of long bandages as clothing. She was another instructor, Kurenai Yuhi.

A third instructor, Asuma Sarutobi nodded. "This is a test to show your resolve. How well you do will demonstrate if you're ready to enter the hard life of a guild." He also had black hair and wore a dark green vest.

After everything was said and done, they all headed to the outskirts of Payon, past the Archers' Village, near the entrance to the Payon Cave.

Anko turned around, "Just to reiterate, you're goal is the shrine within the cave. The whole cave is at five floors filled with monsters. As you head deeper in, the monsters will quickly get stronger. And please, watch out for the foxes. They're not aggressive towards humans, but they do tend to want to play tricks on you."

Kurenai added, "Dogs are the best ways to get out of an illusion. Don't hesitate to help your other examinees. This is **NOT **a competition!" She heavily emphasized the last line.

Kakashi added on, "One last note: We personally cleared the cave of all adventurers. If anyone you are not familiar with is in the cave, there's something wrong." He made a bang sound from his hands, "Go!"

The teams all headed in the narrow entrance, which wasn't made for 30 people to go all at once. After heading through the entrance, they all headed down different branches, of which there were three.

Most of the monsters on the first floor were not aggressive towards humans, except for the zombies and bats. "Lop off the heads and they can't chase after you." Everyone took the advice to heart. The bats were just standard fare.

They all quickly advanced to the second floor, which was filled with undead. The animated skeletons were using either knives or bows. Red bats also scoured the area, looking for their next feast.

The minor scrapes from before quickly became more dangerous. Those with healing capabilities found themselves becoming more tired. Luckily, red plants were dotted around the ground and walls. They were edible and helped them through the onslaught of undead abominations.

Shikamaru sighed, "How are you guys doing?" He wasn't as useful as he had hoped. Although his shadow abilities were greatly enhanced by the darkness of the cave, he didn't seem to be able to do anything but scratch the skeletons.

Mostly everyone responded that they were in good shape. Although it wasn't in every ones' best interest, they decided that sticking together was the best bet. They split the group in half, both groups on each side.

Ino Yamanaka, one of Shikamarus' teammates, asked, "How do you think the others are doing?" The girl had blond hair, and wore purple training gear, with sarashi around her midriff.

"They should be alright. Both Naruto and Sasuke are strong on their on right. Besides, what else could be in this cave?" A considerable wave of undead came their way. "You just had to open your big mouth."

The other side…

The other group had similar success. Sakura used her healing arts to help everyone stay in good shape, while they topped off their health with the red herbs growing everywhere.

Sakura huffed, "I can't believe those two are fighting at a time like this! We should be trying to get through this together!" She said in disdain, watching her two teammates fight.

Hinata comforted her friend, "I'm sure when push comes to shove, they'll learn to protect each other." The maiden of the Hyuuuga clan looked idealistically at the whole situation.

Sasuke Uchiha's iciness contrasted with Naruto Uzumakis' fiery personality. "Sasuke! We have to look out for each other! I'm tired of your loner ways!" A skeleton snuck out of the shadows.

"Naruto! Watch out!"

He nearly turned around too late, but Sasuke managed to cut the monster apart. "You were saying, idiot?"

He carefully sheathed his sword, before tossing a bottle of liquid Narutos' way. "You might need this."

While Naruto didn't exactly like Sasuke, he had to thank him for his 'gift'. "Thanks." He pocketed the potion for an emergency.

The swordsman sat in a corner, while everyone rested for the moment. "So, when will we move on?"

"Not everyone seems to be able to continue yet, and monsters keep coming." The able fighters were able to keep the undead at bay, while the others were resting.

"At least we've got most of the good fighters here."

Onwards…

Both teams eventually met up, when they finished resting. On the third floor of the dungeon, they met with two types of zombies in some kind of feudal wear. These are adventurers from ages ago. Some kind of massive spell keeps them in this place. They are unable to ascend to heaven and their souls are in constant torment on the living coil.

"We'll have to stick together if we want to survive." The zombies slowly hopped towards the large group. The main fighters faced the opposition, while the mages, what few they had, lobbed different spells at them.

They slowly stopped coming. As the trainees continued, no monsters appeared. "I've heard that this cave is usually filled with monsters. What happened?" A few of them cried out, as they were dragged by their feet, underground. "What the!"

The jiang-shi dug out of the ground. Since their fighting force was diminished, they had to fight more conservatively, while looking for a way to reunite with their other friends.

"I can't believe this!" Naruto complained, while bandaging up his fists. He didn't want to touch the flesh of the undead horrors. They all had to look carefully around them. Nearly all directions were possibly dangerous.

The red jiang-shi, known as munak, expertly dodged Narutos' attacks. Their blue counterparts, bonguns, were similarly skilled. "Great! I'm totally useless against them."

Sakura chanted and his hands glowed. "This should help improve your physical condition! You'll do better against them!"

Naruto nodded, as he was able to do better against the undead horde. "Thanks!"

Meanwhile, everyone was confronting the ordeal with similar success. Team 8's members were better off. Hinata had the Hyuuga clans' special eye ability. Kiba had superior tracking and close combat skills. Shino Aburame had his clans expertise with insects, relying on them to quickly take out their foes.

Although the Uchiha's eye abilities were of little use, Sasuke had great success with his swordsmanship. He had managed to destroy the most out of them all.

Injuries were minimal, though 6 of their members were disappeared. "Damn, we'll probably have to look for them." Naruto said.

Sasuke responded, "Those too weak to continue deserve to be taken. They'll probably be taken care of by the instructors." He continued, but Naruto stepped in front of him.

He grabbed Sasuke's scruff of his shirt, "What the hell are you talking about! Of course we'll have to look for them. We don't know what happened to them!" The two continued to argue.

Sakura pleaded to the two of them to stop fighting. Her begging fell on deaf ears.

Shino spoke, "Why don't we just continue? Either way, we'll have to finish this."

Naruto didn't like the concession, but he had to agree. "Alright, let's just get this over with." He looked around, "Hey, where did Sasuke go?"

Everyone looked around, "What the? He was just over there a few seconds ago!"

Meanwhile…

Sasuke walked onward, unaware of what was going on behind him. Not that he cared about those he had considered weaker than him, of course. When he saw that no monsters impeded his path, he smirked. He continued, not knowing the dangers that may befall him.

Later…

The two groups quickly met together making 17 (After losing Sasuke). They discussed how to continue. "We're losing people left and right. Should we head out or keep going?"

Shikamaru thought about it, while they were still barraged. "Continuing will be the fastest way to stop this. In fact, it may be possible that we are currently in an illusion, created by one of the foxes residing in this cave."

The people gasped around him, "Every time we attack the monsters, they seem to be reforming at an abnormal rate. Although none of you can see it, you're all slowly hurting from an outside source."

Kiba commented, "But remember what they said. If a fox could be on this floor, Akamaru should have sensed something." He pointed to his dog, which seemed to be trying, but failed. He let out a slight whimper.

Naruto looked around, "Their big boss must be incredibly intelligent, or someone is messing with us." He looked to Hinata, "Your eyes should be able to pierce the illusions. What can you see?"

She nodded, and veins popped out around her eyes, "Everything looks empty around us. I can't seem to find the source of the disturbance."

Sakura cried out, "What's going to happen to us?"

With Sasuke…

He figured it out. The illusion was created by the foxes, which seemed to be purposefully ignoring the young man. The other monsters seemed to be held at bay, while he walked around, searching for his goal. "Where is it?"

Sasuke eventually makes his way to the fourth floor. The unused torches around him suddenly light up. "Okay? That's unusual…"

A strange light appears before him. It seems to beckon the boy to follow. He looked around him, for any possible traps that may be triggered. When he found none, he noticed he was in another area. The area had a shrine. "What the?"

He walked to the shrine, and a ghost appeared. It was the ghost of a girl with long, black flowing hair, in funeral attire. She opened up the shrine and presented Sasuke with a fourth of what looked like a mask.

The same process happened at the next shrines, until the mask was complete.

Thanks to Sasukes' training in the Gods' Cry Style, he was able to sense a strong spirit within the mask. The mask beckoned for him to wear it. He was weary about putting it on. He remembered what his brother, Itachi, had said, '_Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain.'_

A nearby fox barked, shaking Sasuke out of his stupor. He focused, and put the mask away, as he headed for the bottom shrine.

Meanwhile…

The rest of them tried to fight against the illusions. "Anyone have any bright ideas?"

Shikamaru snapped, "Naruto, I want you to stab me! Never mind the questions!"

People gasped, but Naruto trusted his friends' judgment. "Alright! Here goes!" He used a concealed dagger and stabbed his friend. He kept it on him because it paid to be prepared.

The pineapple head let out a small scream, but seemed to be otherwise okay. Now, fully focused, he was able to counter the illusion. He closed most of his senses, and let out a many devastating shadow spikes. The spikes pierced through the offending monsters, the foxes, which caused their illusions to fall.

After he let go of his energy, everyone returned to his or her senses. He fell down, satisfied with what he did. He received some congratulations, but he waved it off, "We have to keep going, and look for Sasuke."

Naruto slapped his back, "Chill out, Shika. You've got to take a rest after being stabbed like that. We'll leave after you're done healing." He gave some of the extra herbs they found to him.

Shikamaru grabbed Naruto, "No, you don't understand! The illusion messed with our sense of time! It's only a couple of hours before we're supposed to finish! We've got to head to the shrine on the fifth floor!"

The miniature revelation stunned everyone. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

They all hurried for the next floor, somehow managing to avoid the horde of monsters coming their way.

Fifth Floor…

Sasuke reached the fifth floor earlier, thanks to assistance from the fox. He bowed, more out of necessity than real thanks. He knew that foxes were rather spiteful creatures.

He headed to the middle shrine without incidence. He noted that it time was almost up, and decided to wait for the others.

After some time had passed, the fox reappeared. It spoke, in a gruff voice, lower than what it's body seemed to suggest, "What are you doing?"

The boy rubbed his eyes. '_I must be going crazy.' _

The fox continued to speak, "Walk to the shrine, and claim your prize."

Deciding to test the difference between illusions and reality, he responded, "Who the hell do you think you are? Don't tell me what to do! I'm Sasuke Uchiha, of the elite Uchiha clan."

While Sasuke was submerged in a lake of his own ego, the fox continued, "Ah, yes, the Uchiha clan. I recall… that the clan was completely destroyed… by one man. Save for a lone boy… a useless boy, driven by revenge against the 'traitor'. You are that boy, aren't you?"

The foxes taunting voice enraged Sasuke, who attacked him. He merely hit air, when he finally reached the fox. The fox appeared elsewhere, laughing a throaty laugh. "Young fool! You're millions of years too early to be challenging me!"

"Please stop this nonsense." Someone spoke with a bored tone. He had the voice of a young boy, someone around five or six years old.

The youngling looked around, but the fox made a toothy smirk. "Are you bored of this, Master?"

A spirit, similar to the one from before, appeared in front of Sasuke, "Just pick up what's in the shrine and get the fuck away from here." He spoke in a bored manner.

He did as the spirit commanded. Sasukes' spiritual senses rose to abnormal levels, which indicated a massive entity in front of him.

He opened the shrine, to reveal a blade in front of him. The blade had a hazy aura, but the boy just took it, instantly warping him out of the dungeon, along with all his comrades on the different floors.

The fox whimpered, "Ah, why did you have to do that for?"

The spirit turned to him, "Kurama, every time you taunt someone, I get a fucking migraine. Don't forget, we're linked after that incident." He disappeared.

Outside…

The instructors worried for their charges. They were able to keep an eye on all of them, until the third floor. A haze had split the concentration of the special technique and left the blind.

To say the least, it was a major surprise when everyone seemed to teleport in front of them.

"What the!"

The group of 17 fell down, exhausted from running from every encounter. They fell down at once.

Sasuke remained calm, but slightly shaken from the ordeal. He gripped his blade and quickly put it away from possibly prying eyes.

The rest were put to sleep, bound together by vines. They were quickly set free. Needless to say, they wouldn't be graduating.

The instructors congratulated everyone else on a job well done.

They were all hurried back to the guildhall to recover from the ordeal.

End

A little bit of back-story and mythos regarding the land. Since half the crossover is Naruto, I'm trying to use as much of the established story I can, spread to different parts, so as not to overwhelm the readers. Pm or review if I've made any plot holes or any mistakes. Some of these will be on purpose though.

For any of you wondering, I'm not having anyone beta for my stories because I'm generally an easy-going guy. I'll write as the muse hits me, and I don't always have an in-depth plan when it comes to writing stories. I'm also pretty lazy.

I don't count this as a story. It's a chain of events that may tie together to something big. I'll try to get all the dungeons and towns in on this.

The special abilities of most characters will be either from Dungeon Fighter Online, Ragnarok Online, their original series, or a mix of whatever number. It's generally pretty tame, IMO. I'm trying to have something it relating to their characters.

Schwartzvald Continent…

The Schwartzvald Republic, the sister nation to the kingdom of Rune Midgard. The republic was the more technologically advanced of the two, whereas Midgard had more magical expertise.

The republic was home to stronger monsters, and the ancient city, where the highest ritual, one of reincarnation, could be taken. This was the second highest goal of all adventurers and guilds.

Within the nation resides, the Deimos… an organization of the highest caliber. Named after the ancient personification of sheer terror, the bodiless entity of an organization stood in the shadows of the republic, carrying out its orders flawlessly.

A very secretive organization, members were regarded with utmost respect. Any unfamiliar with the organization, would possibly meet a gruesome end.

Not to say that the Deimos were full of mindless killing machines and unfeeling monsters. No… They were just, in a word, odd.

The organization members mostly kept to themselves, on their continent. They rarely had missions in the south, which was regarded as weak, in terms of military might. Until the last century, the Deimos treated Rune Midgard as inconsequential. That is, until Kami basically took over, all but in name.

They didn't mind the heavenly forces occupying the rival nation, but they knew that their time in the shadows would soon be up.

The secret commander of the legion of Kami, the mysterious Seraph, the Burning One, would burn a hole into the republic, revealing the almost forgotten shadowy organization.

The time had nearly come. The shadowy terror would have to leave from their darkened posts, and combat the light.

Secret Location…

In a room, within the secret headquarters of the Deimos, in the Schwartzvald Republic, a meeting had begun. A man, wrapped in shadowy cloth, from head to toe, spoke. He had an airy voice, one that would soothe all but the most brutal of beasts.

The agents all operated by codenames, given by the shadowy man. They were known as the Keres, a group of beautiful, well-endowed woman, trained to carry out the orders of the organization.

The meeting ended as quickly as it had begun. Preparations were under way, and only the gods could stop the possibly carnage in the wake.

Deimos Organization

I don't know how far I'll get with this.


End file.
